The Saudi government has offered Islamic militants a limited amnesty, telling them to surrender within a month or face the "full might" of state wrath.
In an ultimatum suggesting that the kingdom is ready to toughen up its campaign against al-Qaeda-linked fighters blamed for a series of deadly attacks, Crown Prince Abdullah said the lives of those who turn themselves in within a month would be spared.
After that, "We swear by God that nothing will prevent us from striking with our full might, which we derive from relying on God," the de facto ruler said Wednesday, using some of the fiercest language yet against militants.
The ultimatum was issued in the name King Fahd, Abdullah's half brother.
Abdullah said the amnesty offer was open to anyone who has not yet been "arrested for carrying out terrorist acts.
"We are opening the door of forgiveness," the crown prince said.
"Islamic law will be applied to everyone who deviated from the path of right and committed a crime in the name of religion," he said.
Under the amnesty, only those who committed acts that hurt others would be prosecuted, and no one who turns himself in would face the death penalty.
Adel al-Jubeir, the foreign affairs adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah, later said the offer should not be interpreted as amnesty, a word Abdullah didn't use during the speech. Nor should the offer be interpreted as trying to broker a deal with terrorists, al-Jubeir said.
Al-Jubeir said Saudi authorities have dealt major blows to al-Qaeda in the kingdom recently, enjoy the support of the Saudi population and will not let up in their pursuit of terrorists during the month.
Also Wednesday, Foreign Minister Prince Saud denounced calls by militant clergy for Saudis to travel to Iraq to join insurgents battling the US military and its Iraqi allies.
Saud condemned the beheading of South Korean civilian Kim Sun-il, whom militants had kidnapped in Iraq and whose body was found Tuesday near Baghdad.
In a videotape of the hostage, a kidnapper spoke with an Arabic accent that suggested he was from Saudi Arabia or a neighboring Gulf Arab state.
Kim's slaying proves "terrorism has no conscience ... These people have no human values, they are far away from Islam," Saud said.
At a news conference Wednesday, Saud said calls for Saudis to wage holy war in Iraq were illegitimate and that the kingdom would not permit its citizens to go to the neighboring state to fight the US-led forces.
Saudi newspapers have published obituaries and reports of funerals for Saudis who are said to have died fighting the forces in Iraq.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday vowed that those behind bogus flood control projects would be arrested before Christmas, days after deadly back-to-back typhoons left swathes of the country underwater. Scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers — including Marcos’ cousin congressman — have been accused of pocketing funds for substandard or so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects. The Philippine Department of Finance has estimated the nation’s economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos (US$2 billion) since 2023 due to corruption in flood control projects. Criminal cases against most of the people implicated are nearly complete, Marcos told reporters. “We don’t file cases for
A feud has broken out between the top leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on whether to maintain close ties with Russia. The AfD leader Alice Weidel this week slammed planned visits to Russia by some party lawmakers, while coleader Tino Chrupalla voiced a defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The unusual split comes at a time when mainstream politicians have accused the anti-immigration AfD of acting as stooges for the Kremlin and even spying for Russia. The row has also erupted in a year in which the AfD is flying high, often polling above the record 20 percent it
Ecuadorans are today to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the country’s president more power. Voters are to decide on the presence of foreign military bases, which have been banned on Ecuadoran soil since 2008. A “yes” vote would likely bring the return of the US military to the Manta air base on the Pacific coast — once a hub for US anti-drug operations. Other questions concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers and creating an elected body that would
‘ATTACK ON CIVILIZATION’: The culture ministry released drawings of six missing statues representing the Roman goddess of Venus, the tallest of which was 40cm Investigators believe that the theft of several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from Syria’s national museum was likely the work of an individual, not an organized gang, officials said on Wednesday. The National Museum of Damascus was closed after the heist was discovered early on Monday. The museum had reopened in January as the country recovers from a 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year al-Assad dynasty last year. On Wednesday, a security vehicle was parked outside the main gate of the museum in central Damascus while security guards stood nearby. People were not allowed in because
RSS