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Two Saudi terrorists from Al-Qaeda Members
in Kurdish Prison
30.5.2006
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Erbil, Kurdistan-Iraq, Asharq Al-Awsat - Two
Saudi most-wanted terrorists currently held in Iraqi
Kurdistan spoke exclusively to Asharq al Awsat on
Monday and revealed details about their arrest and
their life in a Kurdish prison.
Abdullah al Ramiyan and Mohammed al Rashudi, whose
names appeared on Saudi Arabia’s list of 36
most-wanted terrorists, were captured in September
2003, as they attempted to enter Iraqi Kurdistan.
Abdul Karim Sinjari, minister of state for the
interior in Iraqi Kurdistan, told Asharq al Awsat,
“Terrorists want to spread their destructive
operations to our secure territories.” However, the
strong cooperation between the people of northern
Iraq and the security services had thwarted several
terrorist attacks.
Many individuals maintained direct contact with the
Kurdish police and informed them of the presence of
foreigners in Kurdish territories, the minister
added. One wife even informed the police that her
husband had taken part in a terrorist attack. “It is
best I hand over my husband to the police than for
50 women to become widows.”
The last major terrorist attack occurred in May 2005
when a police training center was targeted. Iraqi
Kurdistan has enjoyed calm and prosperity, since the
fall of Saddam Hussein, contrary to other parts of
Iraq where the security situation has deteriorated
and attacks occur on a daily basis.
Islamist militants and would be jihadists were
linked to al Qaeda and traveled to Iraq from Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Yemen and other Gulf
countries, not to enjoy Kurdistan’s beautiful
scenery but to spread terror in the territory,
Sinjari said.
Asharq al Awsat met the two 24-year old terrorists,
Abduallah al Ramiyan, the Kingdom’s 17 th
most-wanted terrorist and a history student in the
Mohammed bin Saud university in al Qassim, and
Mohammed al Rashoudi, a high school student in
Bureida, amid heightened security procedures, in the
offices of Lieutenant Ismat Artush.
According to Lieutenant Artush both men confessed
they traveled to Iraq to undertake jihad, and had
sought to enter Kurdish territory through the
Ibrahim al Khalil pass, coming from Turkey without
any proof of identity. They were given fake Iraqi
names at the border but their cover was rapidly
blown because of their foreign accents.
The Kurdish official said the authorities had not
sought to extradite the men to Saudi Arabia but
established contact with Baghdad in order to
determine their fate. “We know they are wanted by
Saudi Arabia but we spoke to Baghdad about them.”
The men were jailed initially in the city of Dohuk
and then Shaklawa before finally being moved 20
miles to the southwest to Erbil .
They have yet to stand trial because anti-terrorism
laws have yet to be approved by the regional
assembly.
Abdullah told Asharq al Awsat he had been traveling
to Iraqi Kurdistan for tourism with his best friend
Mohammed, after leaving Saudi Arabia to Jordan and
then to Syria. The two young men then traveled to
Istanbul and Diyarbakir in eastern Anatolia .
“I crossed the border as an Iraqi but on the
Kurdistan side, they detained me. I had 2500 dollars
in my possession.” On another occasion, he repeated
a different version of events and said he had
traveled to Iraqi to see his friend’s relatives.
The 24-year-old said he was from al Manar
neighborhood in Riyadh and had been held in solitary
confinement during the investigation but was later
moved to a bigger cell with other Arab and Kurdish
prisoners. He denied being physically abused or
tortured. When asked about the origin of a prominent
cut on his forehead, Abdullah said he had hurt
himself as child.
He said his family had visited him four times in
jail and regularly sent him money. But Lieutenant
Artush refuted these claims and said the Saudi
inmates had received no visitors. While refusing to
be photographed, the terrorist gave Asharq al Awsat
his brother’s number to reassure his family.
The meeting with Mohammed Saleh was more tense, with
the 24-year old student aggressively answering
questions and shouting. As he entered the room, he
asked, “Who are you?” to which I replied, “I am a
journalist.” “I don’t like journalists. Leave me
alone.
Kurdish officials have promised they will release me
in the next few days.” He said he had enough money
to buy essentials such as soap and shaving cream and
indicated that one of the benefits of jail was that
he had learned to speak Kurdish and tried Kurdish
foods.
aawsat com
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