Saturday, October 09, 2004
Life as a Saudi Militant
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - They rent cars and houses using stolen IDs. They disguise themselves as women or as hip young men. The money they raise for Iraqi prisoners in U.S. jails funds terror operations
This, Saudi officials say, is the kind of information being gleaned from scores of Saudi militants arrested in an aggressive government campaign.
Two suspects have appeared on television to talk about life underground, telling of injured comrades who die from lack of medical care, supposedly devout Muslims who don't bother praying the mandatory five prayers, and uneducated youths who consider Saudis in uniform to be infidels.
Such information has enabled the kingdom to strike at the root of al-Qaida's Saudi infrastructure, kill or capture several of its leaders, and publicly portray it in a humiliating light.
But no one is willing to declare the network dead or paralyzed, and foreigners know the successes do not mean they should let their guard down.
