Saudi Arabia has not received any official message from the United States about the alleged involvement of Saudi nationals in the September 11 terror attacks, the kingdom's interior minister said Sunday.
"We have received nothing official from the US. We are awaiting anything from them to prove the participation of any Saudi in the attacks," Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz told a press conference.
"The planes had passengers of many nationalities, so why have Arabs and Muslims been singled out" for blame for the unprecedented jetliner suicide bombings, the minister asked.
But Prince Nayef acknowledged that a number of Saudi citizens had left the kingdom several months ago and never returned and had lost contact with their families.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released the names and pictures of 19 Arab suspects, a majority of whom are believed to be Saudi.
Prince Nayef reiterated the kingdom's strong condemnation of the attacks in New York and Washington and said Riyadh was prepared to take part in any world effort against terror.
However he ruled out any logistical support for a planned US military campaign against prime terror suspect Osama bin Laden and his Taliban hosts in Afghanistan -- RIYADH (AFP)
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