Saudi Arabia arrests 149 Al Qaeda terror suspects

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia has arrested 149 alleged member of Al Qaeda terrorist rings over the last eight months, the kingdom’s interior ministry said Friday.

Among those arrested were 25 foreigners, Mansur al-Turki, a spokesman for the ministry, told a press conference in Riyadh.

According to the ministry, the arrests thwarted 10 planned attacks before they could be carried out by 19 Al Qaeda cells operating in the kingdom. The rings were broken up as part of the arrests.

The spokesman denied any direct links between the arrests and the recent parcel bombs sent from neighbouring Yemen to destinations in the US, which were intercepted.

However, some of the newly-discovered cells did have links abroad, al-Turki added.