By Mansour Al-Shihri
RIYADH — The number of detainees in intelligence prisons all over the Kingdom has reached 5,094, the Interior Ministry announced. The ministry said 4,257 of the detainees were Saudis and the rest belonged to 40 nationalities.
The Interior Ministry announced the figures through its Nafithat Tawasul (Communications Window), which is an electronic site for contacts between the detainees and their families.
The ministry said 13 of the detainees were recently arrested, accused of involvement in terror and security cases. The 13 included Saudis, Bahrainis, Sudanese and Pakistanis.
It said a Yemeni, a Syrian, an Indian and a Turk were released recently upon serving their prison terms. They had been convicted of security crimes.
According to the ministry, there are 281 Yemenis and 217 Syrians detained, constituting the second and third largest nationalities after Saudis detained in the intelligence prisons.
The ministry said there are 76 Pakistanis, 30 Sudanese, 11 Bahrainis, 18 Indians and three Turks being detained for their possible involvement in terrorist activities and security cases.
The detainees also included undisclosed numbers of Americans, Canadians, Britons and Iranians.
According to the ministry, the number of detained Pakistanis went up to 76 after the arrest of eight people over recent terrorist operations in Jeddah.
