Opposition Figure: Riyadh Worried about Terror Backfire
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Saudi opposition figure said that the royal family is worried about terrorist threats posed by extremist groups sponsored by the oil-rich monarchy.
Hamza Hassan, a political activist and opposition figure residing outside Saudi Arabia, said of growing concerns in the Saudi society about return of radical trends into the country.
“The Saudi government, which has exported al-Qaeda-style and Wahhabi thoughts overseas and supported them, knows that such trend is starting to backfire,” he told the Tasnim News Agency on Sunday.
Making a reference to a Saturday suicide attack by two suspected al-Qaeda militants in southern Saudi Arabia, Hassan said the incidents gave out a signal to Riyadh that “al-Qaeda still exists and is dangerous”.
On Saturday, two militants blew themselves up after being surrounded inside a government building in southern Saudi Arabia, following an attack on a border post with Yemen.
The militants had put up stiff resistance to security forces surrounding them in the Sharurah area near the Wadia border post with Yemen, firing automatic weapons and hurling grenades at security forces.
