Saudi media are hailing the surrender Tuesday of al-Qaida suspect Khaled al-Harby, a disabled militant thought to be closely associated with Osama bin Laden, as a significant victory in the fight against terrorism. The news of Khaled al-Harby's surrender is on the front pages of most Saudi dailies, some of which predict this will lead other militants to do the same.
Saudi journalist Mahmoud Ahmed said the media's highlighting of Mr. al-Harby's surrender reflected the mood of many Saudis that the amnesty offered by King Fahd on June 23 was working. "It appeared in every newspaper, every single newspaper that I am looking at," he said. "It appeared that al-Harby is answering to the royal pardon; 'Top Al-Qaida Guy Surrenders 10 Days Before The Period Is Over.' I mean, I see it everywhere and I spoke to two people earlier this morning and they said that that is a very positive moment for a guy who is considered a scholar for al-Qaida. So the other terrorists should surrender now."
Mr. Ahmed, a Jeddah-based reporter for the Saudi paper, Arab News, said before Mr. al-Harby's surrender, little was publicly known in Saudi Arabia about the man whom they saw on television being pushed in a wheelchair at the Riyadh airport. Mr. al-Harby, who is also known as Abu Suleiman al-Makky, had been seen on a videotape with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden shortly after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States. |