Saudi police discover al-Qaida weapons cache
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi authorities have discovered large quantities of weapons in the capital Riyadh belonging to al-Qaida terror network, an Interior Ministry spokesman said Sunday.
The official Saudi Press Agency quoted Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki as saying the discovery included 281 assault rifles and 51 ammunition boxes.
Al-Turki said police learned about the cache after investigating a group of al-Qaida suspects arrested in August.
He said the weapons were found buried in a vacant house in the capital.
He said police are searching for the owners of the house whom they suspects of having links with al-Qaida.
The al-Qaida terror group, whose leader Osama bin Laden is a Saudi, has called for attacks on the kingdom's oil facilities as a means of crippling both the kingdom's economy and the hurting the West.
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of bin Laden and home to 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers.
The government has pursued an aggressive campaign against militants since May 2003, when they first began attacks in the kingdom.
On Aug. 19 Saudi authorities announced the arrested of 44 suspected militants with al-Qaida links in a yearlong sweep that also uncovered dozens of weapons and electronic circuits for bombs.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
