Saudi Arabian Prison Escapees Reported Killed in Iraq
By Evan Kohlmann
Less than one week ago, reports began to filter in from Al-Qaida supporters claiming that two wanted Saudi Arabian terror suspects -- Abdelaziz al-Massud and Abdelaziz al-Falaj -- had been killed in clashes with security forces in neighboring Iraq. Though the Saudis have thus far been unable to confirm these reports, a video posted today on the Internet and marked with the logo of Iraq's Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) appears to do just that. The recording--which was not officially released by the MSC through its usual channels--features close-up footage of the corpses of the two men and pays homage to them as "martyrs."
Al-Massud and al-Falaj were among a group of at least eight terrorist suspects who managed to escape from a Saudi prison in Riyadh last July. Al-Massud had already attempted to travel to Iraq on at least one prior occasion in 2006 in order to join Al-Qaida, but was intercepted before he could cross the border by Saudi security forces. It remains unclear how the two wanted suspects were able to safely make their journey into Iraq despite being known terrorists -- although it raises serious questions about how secure Saudi borders really are.
Click to view still photos from the video c/o Globalterroralert.com
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