Manama: Saudi Arabia has announced the arrest of Saudi citizens and foreigners involved in espionage activities.
They were arrested after the Presidency of the State Security monitored their spying activities for the benefit of foreign parties against the security and interests of Saudi Arabia, an official source was quoted as saying by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) late on Monday.
The Saudis and the foreigners targeted the kingdom’s social peace by stirring up seditions and prejudicing its national unity, the official added.
The authorities are currently questioning them for full details of their activities and their links and developments will be announced later, the official said.
The security announcement was the first of two made by the Saudi authorities on Monday evening.
In the first announcement, the authorities said they foiled an attempt by the Daesh group to carry out a suicide attack using explosive belts on two offices belonging to the Ministry of Defence in the capital Riyadh.
An official named Ahmad Yasser Al Kaldi and Ammar Ali Mohammad as the two men tasked with carrying out the terror attack.
The two men, Yemeni nationals, were “neutralised” and arrested before they reached their target, he said.
Initial investigations revealed that the two men had names that were different from the ones on their identification cards.
Two Saudi nationals were also arrested and the authorities are checking possible links with the two Yemenis.
However, the official said for the sake of the investigation their names would not be revealed now.
Two explosive belts, each weighing seven kilos, nine homemade hand bombs and firearms were seized by the police.
The official said that a recreation facility in the Rimal neighbourhood in Riyadh was used as a hideout and for training on the use of explosive belts by the bombers.
