Saudi authorities have identified the authors of a series of bomb blasts that have hit the kingdom over the past six months, a minister said Wednesday, adding that detained British citizen Gary Stuart Dixon was no longer a suspect, according to AFP.
"We have succeeded in identifying the perpetrators of four blasts that took place in Riyadh and (the eastern city of) Khobar" since December, Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdel Aziz told reporters, cited by the agency.
"We'll soon publish all the facts about the explosions...but the investigations are continuing to learn the details and to find out who ordered them," Nayef said.
Asked about Dixon, who was deported to Saudi Arabia in March from the United Arab Emirates, Nayef said the Briton "has no ties with the blasts in Riyadh and Khobar, but remains detained as he was involved in the trafficking of alcohol," which is strictly banned in the kingdom.
Dixon is also charged with fleeing Saudi Arabia, the prince said.
A mail bomb in early May seriously wounded an American doctor in Khobar, who lost his left arm and has lost the use of an eye.
"He is still hospitalized and his state is quite serious," Nayef said Wednesday.
Another blast in Khobar targeted British citizen David Brown in December, wounding him in the shoulder, throat and stomach.
Explosions were also reported in January and March in central Riyadh, one of them causing injuries.
Nayef earlier reported that a Canadian citizen held since the March blast had been cleared of suspicion and released.
"The Canadian who was arrested and detained in the kingdom after a bomb attack in March in front of a Riyadh commercial establishment has been found innocent and released," Nayef said, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The release comes amid a bitter dispute between Riyadh and Ottawa over the continued detention of another Canadian, Bill Sampson, who Canadian officials have alleged has been mistreated.
Saudi authorities have held the other Canadian, who has not been identified, in connection with the March 16 explosion of a bomb that was planted in a rubbish bin outside a store. The blast injured a British citizen and an Egyptian.
Canadian press reports said the suspect was one of three people arrested by Saudi authorities after the attack.
The dispute over Sampson led Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, who arrived in Germany on Wednesday on a multi-nation tour, to cancel a visit to Canada.
“Prince Abdullah bin Abdelaziz embodies the sovereignty and dignity of the kingdom, which will never bow its head before any form of blackmail,” he said.
“It is a pity to criticize the implementation of the Islamic Sharia in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said the minister, referring to criticism by Canada.
“As we respect the laws implemented by other countries, the others should respect the laws being implemented by us.” – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
