Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — There are 5,342 terror suspects from 41 countries currently being detained in five intelligence prisons in Riyadh, Jeddah, Buraidah, Abha and Dammam, according to the Presidency of the State Security.

The presidency said 71 suspects belonging to 11 different nationalities were detained during the past two weeks.

The suspects are: 11 each from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sudan, seven Egyptians, two Syrians and one each from Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Eritrea in addition to a Canadian and a Russian expatriate.

According to the presidency, the detainees consisted of 4,411 Saudis, 334 Yemenis, 203 Syrians, 76 Egyptians, 34 Sudanese, 18 Turks, four Lebanese, four Eritreans, three Canadians and four Russians.

The presidency said the seven nationalities from which the majority of the suspects hail included Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Palestine.

It said a number of suspects have already been sentenced and are currently serving their prison terms while others were still under investigations.

Suspects from three countries appeared for the first time in the list of detainees. They were France, Kenya and Sri Lanka.

According to the presidency, the detainees included nine people of unknown nationality and 14 Bidoun (without nationality).

The other countries from which the suspects have come include, among others, Morocco, Chad, South Africa, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, India, the United States and Qatar.