RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (UPI) -- A Saudi youth was deported from Syria after being caught trying to cross into Iraq to join the insurgency, reports said Monday. The Saudi daily al-Watan quoted what it called a 'special source' as saying Syrian security authorities had sent the young man`s passport to the Saudi Embassy in Damascus, then handed him over to diplomats at the airport to be sent home. The man in his 20s, whose name was not disclosed, was accompanied back home by his father. He had been arrested near the Iraqi border, which he was trying to cross clandestinely.
Also Monday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiar Zibari was quoted as saying that more than 100 Saudis involved in terrorist operations had been arrested in Iraq. 'Those Saudi youths who are linked to the al-Qaida network have been misled and lured to take part in terrorist activities against Iraq and its people by targeting civilians and institutions,' Zibari told the Saudi daily al-Madina. 'A large number of these Saudis are detained in Iraq,' he said, stressing the need to step up security cooperation and coordination between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, including the exchange of intelligence information, 'because these zealous youth are not only dangerous for Iraq but also for Saudi Arabia.' |