Off the wire
• China starts checks on unused fiscal funds  • Taiwan interested in joining AIIB: finance chief  • French ban on skinny models in line with consumer preference: study  • Trading on Hong Kong Stock Exchange  • Former airline executive sentenced to life for graft  • Li Chuncheng stands trial for bribery, abuse of power  • Jiang Jiemin indicted for corruption  • Cambodian parliament passes 2 new election laws  • Hong Kong stocks close 1.45 pct higher  • State of emergency lifted in New Zealand islands after cyclone  
You are here: 　 Home

2,284 Saudis joined foreign terror groups in 4 years

Xinhua, March 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

A total of 2,284 Saudis have joined terrorism groups outside the country over the past four years, an Interior Ministry spokesman told Al Hayat newspaper on Thursday.

The spokesman, Maj. Gen. Mansoor Al Turki, said 645 of them have returned to Saudi Arabia, but the statuses of the others are unknown.

It is hard to know how many of them are alive, Al Turki said.

According to the newspaper, families of Saudis who died in suicide bombings are usually notified by representatives of the terror groups that hired them.

In February 2014, late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued a decree that calls for prison terms of up to 20 years for Saudis who join local, regional or international extremist and terrorist groups or those who publicly support or offer financial assistance to such groups.

In March 2014, Saudi Arabia announced a 15-day grace period for all nationals who were fighting in conflict zones to come back home and avoid legal punishment. Endit