Saudi man 'carried Osama letter'

A suspected militant killed by Saudi police at the weekend was carrying a six-month-old letter from Osama bin Laden, it was reported today

The body of Yosif Salih Fahd Ala’yeeri, one of 19 militants wanted for alleged ties to al-Qaida, was searched after he was shot dead following a police chase.

“The sources revealed that a folded hand-written letter, stained with blood, signed with the name bin Laden was found in the pocket of the killed,” the al-Watan newspaper reported.

It said the letter was a season’s greetings on the Muslim Eid al-Fitr feast, which was celebrated in December.

It also gave a “blessing of the achievements of the groups associated with (bin Laden),” the sources told the newspaper.

The addressee could not be read because the letter was stained with Ala’yeeri’s blood, Al-Watan said.

The newspaper said police worked for hours to detonate explosives Ala’yeeri had strapped to his body. He was also carrying four identification cards, a driver’s licence that did not belong to him, and a global positioning device, the paper said.

Ala’yeeri was among 19 al-Qaida operatives wanted by Saudi authorities following the discovery of a weapons cache in the capital Riyadh last month.

The government said at the time that the militants, 17 of whom were Saudis, were believed to take orders from al-Qaida leader bin Laden.

The group was also linked to the May 12 bombings at foreign housing compounds in Riyadh that killed 35 people, including nine attackers.