Thousands of terror detainees released

Saudi Arabia has released thousands of detainees after clearing them of involvement in terrorism, the interior minister said.

The kingdom’s security forces have arrested several thousand men since Islamic militants launched a terror campaign in May 2003, when suicide bombers attacked three housing estates for foreigners in Riyadh.

“We’ve released thousands, and we will continue to release those who are not convicted,” Prince Nayef said.

He did not give figures nor did he say when the releases took place.

Nayef also said the kingdom had arrested a number of al-Qaida cells.

“We have captured many (al-Qaida terrorists) and, God willing, we’ll get the rest,” the minister said at the launch of the annual report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in the capital Riyadh.

Nayef did not specify how many members of al-Qaida had been detained recently, but he said they belonged to “sleeper cells” – groups that were lying low to undertake attacks later.