It appears the Saudi Embassy is working overtime in its P.R. department. There was an advertisement in The New Republic describing the various Actions and Arrests made by the Saudi Government since September 11. Most the actions and arrests were made this year since May 12, when al Qaeda set off a series of bombs in Riyadh. The advertisement claimed that 500 individuals with suspected ties to terrorism were arrested since September 11, 2001, but it doesn’t say when those arrests were made. I suspect that most were made since the May 12, 2003.

As much as this advertisement shows that the Saudis are very concerned with American public opinion towards their country, it shows that they have gotten serious about terrorism in the wake of their own bombing earlier this year.

Among the specific arrests and actions:
Yousif Salih Fahad Al-Ayeeri, aka Swift Sword, was killed on May 31. He was a major al Qaeda operational planner and fundraiser.

Ali Abdulrahman Said Alfagsi Al-Ghamdi, aka Abu Bakr Al-Azdi surrendered. He is a top al Qaeda agent in Saudi Arabia and is suspected of being behind the May 12 bombings in Riyadh.

Turki Nasser Mishaal Aldandany was killed on July 3 with three other suspects. He was another mastermind of the May 12 bombings.

16 members of terrorist cells in Riyadh, Qasim and the Eastern Provinces were arrested on July 21.

Three men were arrested at a checkpoint in Makkah on July 25 for possessing a “religious edict” in support of terrorist acts against Western targets.

Six terrorist suspects were killed and 4 arrested on July 28 in Qasim Province north of Riyadh. The six killed were Ahmed Nasser Abdullah Al-Dakheel, Karim Olayan Al-Ramthan Al-Faridi Al-Harbi, Saud Aamer Suleiman Al-Qurashi, Mohammad Ghazi Salim Al-Wafi Al-Harbi, Isa Kamal Yousuf Khater, and Isa Saleh Ali Ahmed. The four arrested were Abdullah Hilal Al-Harbi, Mohammad Hilal Al-Harbi, Dhaifallah Hilal Al-Harbi, and Abdul-Elah Hilal Al-Harbi.

Three clerics, Ali Fahd Al-Khudair, Ahmed Hamoud Mufreh Al-Khaledi and Nasir Ahmed Al-Fuhaid, were arrested after calling for support for the Riyadh bombers.

I am curious about two of these actions. Those are the arrest of the three men at the checkpoint on July 25 and the arrest of the three clerics. Were these people arrested for anything more than carrying radical papers and speaking out publicly in support of terrorists? Did they do anything other than exercise freedom of speech and freedom of the press? I don’t know the details of any of these cases, but while we press Saudi Arabia for more in the war on terrorism, we must also encourage them to respect the basic freedoms we claim to enjoy in the United States as well. Security is important, but so are basic human rights and freedom.