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Saudis Cannot Rule Out Al-Qaida Attacks During Hajj

11 November 2010 04:38 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Saudi Arabia says it cannot rule out an al-Qaida attempt to disturb security during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which begins on Sunday, APA reports quoting voanews.com website.
The Saudi interior minister, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, said Wednesday that al-Qaida or other militants may attempt to infiltrate fighters from neighboring Yemen. He added that Saudi security forces are ready for any act that might take place.
More than two million Muslims are expected to make this yearâ€™s pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.
Saudi officials say last yearâ€™s Hajj took place without any major incidents, but security was tight.
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is a Saudi native who was stripped of his nationality. The group launched a campaign of assassinations and bombings across the country from 2003 to 2006, prompting a sharp crackdown from the Saudi authorities.
Thousands of suspected militants were jailed, but hundreds possibly escaped abroad.
Al-Qaidaâ€™s Yemeni and Saudi branches merged in 2009 into a new group, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen.