Muslim militants planning attacks in Saudi Arabia’s holiest city, Mecca, booby-trapped copies of Islam’s holy book, the Koran, to kill and maim pilgrims, a leading Saudi-owned newspaper has reported. The London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat on Wednesday quoted Saudi security sources as saying that this novel weapon was discovered in the arms caches police found after raiding militant hideouts in Mecca and the capital Riyadh in recent weeks. In Mecca, police said they had found tonnes of explosives and rocket propelled grenade launchers, which Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said were to be used to attack pilgrims. In July, police searching militant caches in Mecca found souvenir clocks resembling the Koran that had been booby-trapped.
July? And they didn’t think is was a indication of trouble?
Asharq al-Awsat said the militants had also stuffed explosives into water bottles, which pilgrims normally carry into the shrines, and that they were planning to dress up in wigs and women’s clothes to become less conspicuous in public.
Or maybe they just like to wear womens clothing.
Saudi Arabia has launched a crackdown on suspected al Qaeda militants after triple suicide bombings in Riyadh in May killed 35 people, mostly foreigners. Since then, Asharq al-Awsat said police had found a large number of meat cleavers and swords, which experts said indicated the militants were willing to hack their victims in the same style as Islamist radicals in Algeria.
"Abu, you want the grenade or the AK?"
"Nah, I’m a traditionalist. Hand me the cleaver"
The newspaper said the militants were also well-prepared to carry out assassinations and that they relied on surveillance cameras to avoid being caught. |