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Arabia

Critical shortage of cybercrime experts

2015-04-29

[ARABNEWS] Experts warned at a conference on Tuesday of a critical shortage of global specialists trained to confront increasingly malicious cyber security threats. "Some reports say that we have globally less than 1,000 people who are truly qualified, whereas we need over 30,000 to address the problem," said Mark Goodwin, of Virginia Tech university in the United States. "What we're seeing is cyber espionage and cyber sabotage that warrants that we have increasingly skilled people to address this threat," said Goodwin, deputy director of a university program that aims to address the shortage. His comments were made at a symposium on command and control and countersecurity organized by King Saud University with the Interior Ministry. There is "growing complexity" to the maneuvers of cyberattackers, which reflects the need for effective intelligence, Gregoire Germain, director of information technology and security at French company Thales, told the forum. Prince Bandar bin Abdullah bin Mushari, assistant interior minister for technology, said: "The security of cyber systems is crucial for the safety of our country. So, fighting cybercrime is a prime responsibility of every citizen. This principle of citizen responsibility stems from the famous saying of the late former Interior Minister Prince Naif that the citizen is the first security officer in society." He added that technology has dominated our lives as we make it, use it, and benefit from it. "But it has also become a target of suspicious use whether in the field of politics, business or social communication. So, the responsibility for security and safety of our society is on the shoulders of each of us." Saleh Ibrahim Al-Motairi, general director of the Kingdom's National Cybersecurity Center, said: "We need a national framework for capacity building."

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Arabia

Saudi women played a marginal role in deviant group's activities

2010-12-03

[Arab News] [Arab News] The role of Saudi women in Al-Qaeda is, apparently, marginal; only 15 women have been established to have links with the terrorist organization. The tasks of women snuffies in the earlier days were confined to assisting in logistic matters such as helping wanted beturbanned goons travel without attracting police attention in addition to offering moral support to them. Gradually some of them turned to terror recruiters, financiers and even a media relations officer like Bint Najd, who distributed terror propaganda online. Al-Qaeda started recruiting women in the Kingdom in 2004. The first known female terrorist was the wife of the Kingdom's Al-Qaeda chief Saleh Al-Oufi, who was killed in 2005. Many terror activists donned women's clothes and moved in women's company to cross police checkpoints undetected. Ali bin Abdul Rahman Al-Ghamdi, one of the 19 Al-Qaeda men wanted by the Interior Ministry in the past, used to travel between Madinah and Jeddah wearing abaya and in the company of women before he surrendered to Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs Prince Muhammad bin Naif in 2003. His Moroccan wife was also with him. Wives of beturbanned goons used to accompany their husbands and help them go underground. Al-Oufi's wife hid his three children in a relative's house in Madinah after Al-Oufi's name figured in the ministry's list of bandidos published in 2003. She was caught in July 2004 when police raided a house in King Fahd district in Riyadh. Isa bin Saud Al-Oushi and Muejib Abu Ras Al-Dossary were killed in a police encounter in which three other beturbanned goons were maimed. It was also reported that police recovered the decapitated head of kidnapped American John Marshall from a cold storage within that house. Authorities also seized weapons from the house. Al-Oufi's wife and three children were released by order of Interior Minister Prince Naif and sent to her brother before her husband was killed in a confrontation in 2005. Wafa Al-Shehri is another notable Saudi female terrorist. She is wife of Saeed Al-Shehri, the second in command of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Her association with Al-Qaeda started with her marriage to Abdul Rahman Al-Ghamdi, who was killed in a clash with police in Taif in 2004. Later, Wafa married former Guantanamo detainee Al-Shehri after fleeing to Yemen. Another Saudi woman in Al-Qaeda is Haila Al-Qusayyer, 47, the terror financier referred to by fellow beturbanned goons as Madame Al-Qaeda and Umm Al-Rabab. Al-Qusayyer had been wife to two Al-Qaeda beturbanned goons -- Abdul Kareem Al-Homaid and Muhammad Suleiman Al-Wakeel. Al-Wakeel was killed in a security operation following a botched attempt against an Interior Ministry building in 2004. Saeed Al-Shehri reportedly threatened to make several attacks and kidnaps in order to force the authorities to release Al-Qusayyer, who was captured by Saudi forces from the house of another wanted cut-thoat in Al-Khobaitiah district of Buraidah, Qassim province. Al-Shehri, who planned to make Al-Qusayyer his second wife, sent two cut-thoats, Yusuf Al-Shehri and Raed Al-Harbi, from Yemen to Buraidah to smuggle her to Yemen in October 2009. Both beturbanned goons met their end at a checkpoint in Jazan. Al-Qusayyer was noted for her fundraising skills, often collecting money from wealthy Saudis on the pretext of raising money for orphans and widows. Bint Najd was the media chief of Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom. She operated more than 800 online clubs and blogs to promote the orc ideology and carried pseudonyms such as Al-Asad Al-Muhajir (The Migrant Lion), Al-Ghariba (The Exotic), Bint Najd Al-Habibah (Najd's Beloved Daughter) and Al-Najm Al-Satie (The Glowing Star). She uploaded the orc websites with audio and video recordings and official statements of Al-Qaeda. Abdul Munim Al-Mushawweh, director of the online Al-Sakeenah (Tranquility) Campaign against virulent deviant preaching that has been credited for reducing the online presence of extremism in the Kingdom, said he used to debate with the advocates of orc ideologies, including Bint Najd, but she never listened to his advice and was eventually jugged.

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Arabia

Saudi Arabia bans the opening of public cinemas

2009-07-17

[Jerusalem Post Middle East] The Saudi Arabian government has officially banned the opening of public cinemas in the kingdom following protests over the government considering the issuance of licenses for movie theaters across the country. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz reportedly made the decision following pressure from Saudi Mufti Sheikh Abd Al-Aziz Al-Sheikh to make the public screening of films illegal. The news comes after extensive debate within Saudi society over the propriety of films. The government has indicated a willingness to consider the opening of public movie theaters. This has been resisted by those who subscribe to the strict Wahhabist interpretation of Islam and believe films have the potential to debase the Islamic fabric of Saudi society. Wahhabism dominates the kingdom's religious establishment. "The problem is not the government," Hussam Abu Sabra, CEO of Donya Film Productions, told The Media Line. "The government is trying to do something. The problem is some people in the government who they think it will degrade Islam and bring in bad ideas so they outright refuse it without negotiation." "They don't understand why people want cinema, that film will be good for Saudi people," Abu Sabra continued. "People need food for the mind." "But in the meantime a production company has nowhere to show their work," he added. "We can only market the films outside the Kingdom." Silvio Saadi, CEO of Silver Grey Picture & Sound, agreed that the principle obstacle facing the development of Saudi Arabian film is cultural, not a lack of government interest. "The announcement is really a surprise because everything we've been hearing has been very positive towards film making in the kingdom," Saadi said. "The problem this country faces is not where the government wants to go but that the majority of the people don't want to go there." "One of the main problems for Saudis is having mixed theaters," Saadi explained. "We have mixed restaurants in Saudi, but at a cinema you have men and women entering a dark room and hanging out together." Saadi's company was the first film and sound production company in the Kingdom. "There used to be 8 or 9 theaters - then it was all shut down," he explains. "We started a film production company when no one dared do this," he remembers. Saadi says that over the years the Kingdom has witnessed a number of small steps towards public film screenings. "Over the past few years there has been a lot of talk about them giving licenses again," he said. "A few months ago I heard they had given a license for a theater in a mall in Jeddah and last year we were commissioned by the King's library to produce two full-length IMAX films, which we shot here in Saudi. But while there is one IMAX theater in an ARAMCO compound in the Eastern province and the King has ordered the opening of two more IMAX theaters in two more provinces, they are within private compounds." Most film production companies base their businesses on TV programs, commercials and documentaries. "We work for the Ministry of Health, the Saudi Tourism Commission and the private sector," Saadi said. "The only problem in Saudi is producing feature films because we can't make money out of it." "It's frustrating as a producer," he said. "It doesn't take you anywhere." Despite the restrictions on Saudi filmmakers, Saudi Arabia is host to Rotana, the largest production company in the Middle East, and industry analysts say dozens of Saudi films have been screened in international film festivals. "We have a lot of cinema enthusiasts and there are lots of short films made by Saudi directors," Ahmed Al-Omran, an influential Saudi blogger, told The Media Line. "They are more for artistic expression and are not screened publicly, but it's only a matter of time until we have proper movie theaters." The first commercial screening of a Saudi movie in over 30 years took place last month under much fanfare. "It was a special screening at a cultural center," Al-Omran said. "People could go and buy tickets and watch a movie but it was only for a week or so." Despite street protests by Saudis opposed to the screenings, thousands of people were reported to have attended.

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Arabia

Ex Gitmo inmate says reborn after Saudi rehab

2009-04-28

[Al Arabiya Latest] Abdulaziz al-Baddah had no idea what to expect after his release from the U.S. Guantanamo "war on terror" prison. He was picked up in Pakistan in December 2001 for working with the charity al-Wafa, which the United States alleges helped to fund al-Qaeda, and spent five years in the Guantanamo facility before being freed. "I wanted to come back to Saudi Arabia even if I had to face death," he said in an interview organized by the Saudi government's interior ministry. "It wouldn't be worse than what I faced in Guantanamo." Instead, one of the first things that happened was that he was reunited with his family from Mecca. He was interviewed, investigated and given a psychological evaluation--but not at all like in the U.S. jail. "It was more humanitarian," Baddah recalled. Then he was sent to Riyadh's new rehabilitation facility for militants, the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Centre for Care and Counselling. There, his hate for Americans dissipated and he lost his desire to go on jihad. "How would I benefit if I killed innocent people?" he asked, dutifully echoing one of the center's mantras. Positive brainwash One of the first "graduates" of the innovative Riyadh facility said the key lesson learned there is that his family and country are everything and that they will decide, not him alone, what constitutes a correct jihad, or holy war. "We tell them it's not your responsibility to decide," said Turki al-Otayan, the centre's main psychologist. "Before, I believed that my work for al-Wafa in Afghanistan could make me a martyr if I died, even if I was not fighting," Baddah said. "But now I think more about what I do. Humanitarian deeds go under the concept of jihad." Using a select group of clerics skilled in debating Islamic doctrine, the center engages former militants, those from Guantanamo and others arrested inside Saudi Arabia, in dialogue and class discussions over what jihad is and who has the right to call one. The answer, said center official Sheikh Ahmed Hamid Jelani, is that a jihad must be decided upon by senior Saudi clerics, agreed by the king and then permitted by the prospective militant's own parents. The program offers ample financial and social benefits, aiming to ensure that a graduate turns to the right people when he has questions on how a good Saudi Muslim should behave. In 2007 Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz gave $2,700 each to 55 Saudis who were formerly held at Guantanamo. Western application Last February Britain's High Court began looking into applying the Saudi rehabilitation program to give counseling to extremists. The new British program would be modeled after the munasaha (Arabic for "advice") program in which the Saudi government enrolls repentant terrorists and returnees from Guantanamo or militant camps outside the kingdom, the London-based newspaper al-Hayat reported on Feb. 23. The program would place an Islamic scholar or an imam in each prison to provide counseling to inmates with extremist ideologies According to High Court Judge Sir Christopher Pitchers, who headed a delegation that met with Saudi Minister of Justice Abdullah bin Mohammed Ibrahim Al Sheikh. "We will need the help of Saudi Arabia," Pitchers was quoted as saying. "However, it is the British government that should decide, not the court." He referred to the positive results the Saudi program has yielded, especially with respect to terrorist operations. "If a terrorist attack takes place in the U.K., we could benefit from the experience of Saudi Arabia in countering terrorism. We can also help them if we can. Mutual interest is the purpose of this visit to Riyadh," he said.

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India-Pakistan

Withdrawal of hunting ground annoys Saudis

2008-10-25

ISLAMABAD - The government’s ill-conceived decision to withdraw a hunting ground from Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif has not only hurt the pride of Kingdom’s ruling family but also put Pak-Saudi exemplary bilateral relations in jeopardy. The decision added insult to the injury when the land in Rajanpur was withdrawn from Prince Naif, who falls third in the line of ruling hierarchy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and leased out to a dignitary in Dubai. According to well-placed sources, the Saudi rulers felt it bad as they were having only two hunting grounds in Pakistan out of which one thirty-year-old lease (renewable every year) was withdrawn in a derogatory manner. Consequently, the Saudis are left with only one hunting ground as against the UAE rulers who have about a dozen of them. The sources observed that the land withdrawal some three weeks ago, put the entire bilateral relationships between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on an undeclared moratorium. Now, the sources believe, the ‘almost halted’ bilateral cooperation between the two countries could be rectified only after the government of Pakistan appeases the Saudi rulers. The first option, they mentioned, could be the return of lease of the same land to the Saudi Prince. Asked about other options to resolve the issue, the sources said, “If one is willing to undo a wrong one could draw out alternatives but the basic question is to accord serious consideration to the gravity of the issue.” On the other hand, they said, the government of Pakistan so far had been taking the matter lightly, since Saudis’ request to seek return of the land placed at the apex level before the authorities in Pakistan did not yield any results as yet. Starting from micro impact of rendering jobless the 60 to 70 people who were looking after that land on behalf of the Saudi Prince, the ground withdrawal issue could be tantamount to badly impacting even the fragile economy of Pakistan, especially in the current precarious circumstances of the country’s economy. Moreover Pakistan can hardly afford to annoy Saudis particularly at at this critical juncture when it direly needs friends like China and Saudi Arabia. According to the sources, unless the government of Pakistan addresses this issue on priority basis, the bilateral relations between the two countries would not improve. They also mentioned that the Saudis did mind that President Asif Ali Zardari could not so far make it to visit the Kingdom despite publicly expressing his desire to do so, especially in the scenario emerging after the withdrawal of the land. Asked about the fate of the Saudi Oil facility for Pakistan, the sources said, everything going on at the bilateral level is feared to be stuck up at ‘as it is, where it is’ level in case the government continues to give a cold shoulder to Saudi request to lease back the hunting ground in Rajanpur to Prince Naif. “You are talking about Saudi Oil facility, the government of Pakistan could get budgetary or even balance of payment support from Saudi Arabia by returning the same hunting ground back to them,” the sources maintained. The sources further told The Nation that the other day’s announcement by the Saudi government to impose restriction of language even on the unskilled labour force imported from Pakistan was also linked with the hunting ground withdrawal. The sources feared that the government of Saudi Arabia could take more stringent measures regarding the Pakistani expatriates. “Unfortunately, it were the working class that suffered first while in future Pakistani business community could also face music in terms of conditions imposed on Saudi visa process,” the sources observed.

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Arabia

Saudi terrorist trials kick off in Riyadh

2008-10-21

The much-awaited trial of al-Qaeda militants, arrested for taking part in a series of terrorist operations across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, begins today in Riyadh, a Saudi daily reported on Monday "The General Court in Riyadh has set up a 10-member bench to look into the cases of 70 terrorists including Saudis and foreigners," an informed source was quoted by the Saudi Arab News. The militants were involved in terrorist attacks that killed 200 people as well as 70 security officers, the source said, adding that lawyers would be allowed to defend the suspects. The Arab News reported that the militants facing trial included two groups: those directly involved in the attacks and those who helped the accused by providing refuge, transport and funds as stated by an Interior Ministry official. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif announced last week plans to transfer cases of militants to Shariah courts, the newspaper said. "They all will be transferred to the judiciary to give its verdict on them in accordance with what God has ordained to prevent sedition. We don't punish anybody except on the basis of a court verdict," the Arab News quoted the prince. Last June, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced the arrests of 701 militants for plotting to carry out terrorist attacks. Some of the detainees, according to Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, the ministry's spokesman, were planning to stage terrorist attacks on oil fields and other vital installations, the Arab News reported.

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Arabia

Imams fail in their desired role: Naif Arab News

2008-10-17

Imams of Saudi mosques have failed in guiding young Saudis away from extremist ideologies that pose a serious threat to the security and stability of the country, according to Interior Minister Prince Naif. "The more than 15,000 mosques in the country constitute the best forums for guidance, but the imams have failed miserably in discharging their duties," Prince Naif said after opening a seminar on Human Rights in Higher Education and Intellectual Security at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah on Wednesday night. "Frankly speaking, I would like to say that the imams of mosques, with the exception of the two holy mosques, have not played their desired role (in the fight against extremism)," Prince Naif said. "The introduction of topics related to human rights in the education or any other area of life does not mean that our society is ignorant or deficient in human values as some quarters have been portraying," Prince Naif told an audience that included Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al-Anqari and Rector of Umm Al-Qura University Adanan Wazzan. The prince stressed the significant role universities had to play in keeping the young Saudis away from the dangers of destructive ideologies. "Since universities are centers of research, it is their duty to study ways to root out ideas that distort religion and defame the nation," he said.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Saudi Arabia refutes Iranian allegation about Muggsy killing

2008-04-21

Saudi Arabia strongly refuted allegations made by some Iranian newspapers that Riyadh is behind the killing of top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh in Lebanon. Denying reports, Interior Minister Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz said: "It is ridiculous". Prince Naif also clarified that his recent meeting with US Ambassador to Iraq was focused on the condition of Saudi detainees and their coming back home.

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Arabia

Human Rights Protected in Kingdom by Shariah: Naif

2008-04-08

Interior Minister Prince Naif said yesterday that human rights are protected in the Kingdom thanks to the implementation of Shariah. "Different executive and supervisory government agencies implement regulations that take care of the rights of the accused at the time of arrest, investigation, trial and execution of punishment," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister saying. Prince Naif made this statement while receiving the president and members of the National Society for Human Rights at his office in Riyadh. During the meeting the two sides discussed issues relating to Saudi society.

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Arabia

Imam Sends Death Threats to Official

2007-12-31

The Kingdom’s Cassation Court (appeals court) will hear the case of a Saudi imam who was jailed by a court in Hail. The imam allegedly threatened to kill the head of the branch of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Hail. The head had suspended the imam from his duties for using anti-Western slogans in his sermons. The ministry asked the imam several times to refrain from using political slogans but the imam was adamant and refused to obey. He was then summoned to the ministry and removed from his position. After a quarrel with a ministry official and the failure by others to mediate and have the imam reinstated in his job, the imam sent death threats to the official on his cell phone. The official then filed a lawsuit against the imam at the religious court in Hail. A reliable source reported that the imam “kept arguing with the judge that it was legitimate in Islam to pray against the governments of certain Western countries.” The source continued: “When the judge asked him whether he was the sender of the death threats, he confessed and did not deny it.” The judge then sentenced the imam to seven months in prison and 150 lashes. The Cassation Court will either uphold the Hail court’s ruling or ask for a retrial. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Hammad, head of the branch of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Hail, the receiver of the death threats, said the ministry was firm on monitoring the performance of imams. “Among the large numbers of imams here, you will find some who do not follow guidelines,” he told Arab News. He said the ministry monitored the performance of imams through committees which submit reports. “If and when an imam is seen to have indulged in any wrongdoing, he is summoned by the ministry. If the mistake is unintentional, he is warned and resumes his job. But if the wrongdoing is intentional, he is punished according to the level of the violation,” Al-Hammad said. He said punishment was gradual and could lead to the imam’s being removed from his job if he continued to disregard ministry guidelines. Earlier this month, Interior Minister Prince Naif said that some mosques in the Kingdom were being used to send messages which violated their main purpose. The prince also said that some imams and khateebs (preachers) were not doing enough to discourage militancy among Saudi youth, including discouraging young Saudis from going to Iraq to fight alongside insurgents. In June, Prince Naif held a meeting with imams and khateebs from all over the country and sought their support in fighting the ideology that had been used to recruit Saudi youth to Al-Qaeda. Asked if he felt there had been any progress since that meeting, the minister said: “No, not at the level I would have hoped for.” Last year the Ministry of Islamic Affairs announced that 270 officials had been hired to monitor the performance of imams and khateebs. In addition, the ministry said some 203 technical teams regularly check architectural aspects of mosques. The report said there were 58,110 mosques in the Kingdom including 11,806 where Friday prayers are held.

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Arabia

Saudi Arabia welcomes return of 10 Gitmo detainees

2007-12-30

(KUNA) -- Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz welcomed Saturday the return of 10 citizens from the Guantanamo Bay prison. Speaking to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Prince Naif affirmed that efforts by the country's leadership worked in bringing back the detainees, lauding cooperation with the U.S. on the issue. He hoped that the rest of the Saudis in Gitmo would be back, adding that former detainees would go through the regular interior procedures. On his part, Saudi Interior spokesman Major General Mansour Al-Turki said that the families of the prisoners were notified of their return, facilitating procedures for the families to meet their loved ones. Saudi Arabia has assigned a special team to follow up on the detainees at the bay prison which has been a place for several Arabs and foreigners fighters who were caught during the war on Afghanistan in 2001.

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Iraq

Prince Naif Gives Call to Save Iraq

2007-10-25

Interior Minister Prince Naif yesterday called for intensive efforts to save Iraq from its present predicament and to stand firm against destructive forces. Addressing a meeting of interior ministers of countries neighboring Iraq in Kuwait City, he also warned Iraqis working to destabilize their country that history would not show any mercy to them. Prince Naif refuted suggestions that the meeting was aimed at protecting the interests of Iraq’s neighbors rather than Iraq. “All countries meeting here are deeply concerned with the situation in Iraq as we are linked with the bond of brotherhood and faith,” the prince told the meeting, which was attended by ministers from Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Syria. The conference, which was the fourth of its kind, discussed how to help Iraq get out of its present security difficulties. It also focused on ways of countering terrorism and curbing smuggling and infiltration across the border. “We have to participate in every effort that will help alleviate the suffering of Iraqi people,” the prince said. However, he emphasized that Iraqi people must take the lead in the efforts to restore peace and security in their country. “If they fail to do so it will not only destroy Iraq but will also endanger the security and stability of neighboring countries. And any instability in this sensitive region will have a negative effect on the whole world.” Prince Naif said the terrorist groups in Iraq were harming Islam and Muslims. “Muslims have already realized this fact and enlisted them among their enemies.” The ministers participating in the meeting reiterated their support for Iraq to restore its security and stability. Kuwait’s Deputy Premier and Defense and Interior Minister Sheikh Jabir Mubarak Al-Sabah emphasized the need for Iraqi reconciliation to restore the country’s stability.

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