Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
89RIYADH9763
1989-12-06 14:05:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Riyadh
Cable title:  

SAUDI ARABIA: 1989 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

Tags:  PTER KPRP SA 
pdf how-to read a cable
P 061405Z DEC 89
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8595
INFO AMCONSUL DHAHRAN
AMCONSUL JEDDAH
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 09763 

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PTER KPRP SA
SUBJECT: SAUDI ARABIA: 1989 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: STATE 363024

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 09763

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PTER KPRP SA
SUBJECT: SAUDI ARABIA: 1989 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: STATE 363024


1. THERE FOLLOWS DRAFT VERSION OF SAUDI ARABIAN
SUBMISSION TO THE 1989 REPORT TO CONGRESS ON
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, KEYED TO REFTEL. DRAFT
VERSION OF CLASSIFIED ANNEX IS BEING SENT SEPTEL.


2. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL POSTS --

- A. RESULTS OF 1989 COURT PROSECUTIONS INVOLVING
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM OR SIGNIFICANT ACTS OF DOMESTIC
TERRORISM:

- IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE JULY 1989 BOMBINGS AT
MECCA, SAUDI SECURITY FORCES DETAINED A LARGE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE, POSSIBLY RUNNING INTO THE HUNDREDS, BUT MOST WERE
QUICKLY RELEASED AFTER INTERROGATION. THE PERSONS
FINALLY ARRESTED WERE TRIED WITHOUT PUBLICITY AND
ACCORDING TO SHARIA LAW, THE CUSTOMARY LEGAL PROCEDURE IN
SAUDI ARABIA, WHICH DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR PUBLIC TRIALS OR
A DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR THE ACCUSED BUT HAS A BUILT-IN
APPEALS SYSTEM. ON SEPTEMBER 21, AFTER REVIEW OF THE
SENTENCES BY TWO DIFFERENT APPEALS BOARDS AND THE KING,
16 MEN WERE BEHEADED NEAR THE GRAND MOSQUE IN MECCA. ALL
WERE SHIA MUSLIMS OF KUWAITI NATIONALITY, ALTHOUGH TWO
WERE SAID TO BE OF SAUDI AND ONE OF QATARI DESCENT. AT
THE SAME TIME, FOUR SHIA OF KUWAITI NATIONALITY WERE
SENTENCED TO PRISON TERMS AND FLOGGINGS OF 1000 OR 1500
LASHES, TO BE GIVEN IN INSTALLMENTS OVER THE TERM OF
THEIR SENTENCES. NINE SHIA OF KUWAITI NATIONALITY WERE
RELEASED WITHOUT PUNISHMENT AND REPATRIATED TO KUWAIT.

IN AN ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED SHOW OF OPENNESS, SAUDI
TELEVISION BROADCAST PICTURES OF THE BOMBING SITES,
INTERVIEWS WITH VICTIMS, AND FULL VIDEOTAPED CONFESSIONS
BY THE SIXTEEN EXECUTED MEN, WHO DID NOT APPEAR TO BE
UNDER DURESS AND IN MOST CASES SPOKE CALMLY. SEVERAL
STATED IN THEIR CONFESSIONS THAT THEY OBTAINED THE
EXPLOSIVES USED IN THE BOMBS THROUGH THE IRANIAN EMBASSY
IN KUWAIT, BUT SAUDI MEDIA DID NOT INITIALLY STRESS THE
IRANIAN ELEMENT IN THE CASE. AFTER AN INITIAL PERIOD OF
RESTRAINT, HOWEVER, THE IRANIAN MEDIA CRITICIZED SAUDI
ARABIA HARSHLY FOR THE EXECUTIONS, AT WHICH POINT THE
SAUDI MEDIA BEGAN TO DEAL MORE SPECIFICALLY WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF IRANIAN INVOLVEMENT. THE SAUDIS ALSO
PUBLICIZED MESSAGES OF SUPPORT FOR THE TRIALS AND
EXECUTIONS BY OTHER MUSLIM GOVERNMENTS AND BY MUSLIM
RELIGIOUS BODIES, INCLUDING SEVERAL SHIA GROUPS IN THE
EASTERN PROVINCE. NO EVIDENCE WAS EVER PUBLISHED OF
INVOLVEMENT IN THE CASE BY SAUDI SHIA, AND SOME EASTERN
PROVINCE SHIA REPORTEDLY SENT A LETTER TO THE KING
SUPPORTING THE SENTENCES AND CONDEMNING THE BOMBINGS.


- B. STATEMENTS BY HOST COUNTRY IN SUPPORT OF
TERRORISM-SUPPORTING COUNTRIES ON A TERRORISM ISSUE:

- SAUDI ARABIA DID NOT MAKE ANY SUCH STATEMENTS IN

1989. IN FACT, HIGH OFFICIALS STRONGLY CONDEMNED
TERRORISM ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, MOST NOTABLY AT THE
TIME OF THE MECCA BOMBINGS NOTED ABOVE, BUT ALSO ON THE
OCCASION OF TERRORIST ACTS AGAINST SAUDI PERSONNEL AND
PROPERTY IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT COUNTRIES DURING 1989,
AND FOLLOWING THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT MOAWAD OF
LEBANON. THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT NEVER MADE ANY OFFICIAL
COMMENT ON THE RUSHDIE CASE. THE MUSLIM WORLD LEAGUE,
HEADQUARTERED IN MECCA, AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE
ISLAMIC CONFERENCE (OIC),HEADQUARTERED IN JEDDAH, BOTH
PASSED RESOLUTIONS CONDEMNING RUSHDIE'S BOOK AND URGING
AN INTERNATIONAL BOYCOTT OF IT, BUT AN IRANIAN PROPOSAL
THAT THE OIC ENDORSE IRAN'S DEATH SENTENCE ON RUSHIE WAS
TURNED DOWN WITHOUT A VOTE.


3. SPECIFIC POST REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:

- A. REVIEW OF MAJOR COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS
UNDERTAKEN IN 1989, INCLUDING STEPS TAKEN IN
INTERNATIONAL FORA:

- SAUDI ARABIA CONTINUED TO SPEAK OUT STRONGLY AND
VOTE AGAINST TERRORISM IN 1989 ON ALL APPROPRIATE
OCCASIONS. IN THE FIELD OF ANTI-TERRORISM TRAINING, THE
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR ANNOUNCED IN NOVEMBER THAT THE
ANTI-TERRORISM UNIT (ATU) OF THE SAUDI SPECIAL FORCES
(SSF),WHICH BEGAN TRAINING IN 1988, WAS BEING DISBANDED
AND ITS WEST GERMAN TRAINERS REPATRIATED. THE REASON
GIVEN WAS THAT ITS SAUDI COMPONENTS HAD SHOWN THEY NEEDED
MORE BASIC TRAINING BEFORE THEY COULD ABSORB THE
SOPHISTICATED TECHNIQUES TAUGHT BY THE WEST GERMANS.
FOLLOWING A NUMBER OF TERRORIST ACTS OR THREATS AGAINST
SAUDI DIPLOMATIC PERSONNEL ABROAD, THE MINISTRY OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS INITITATED A PROGRAM OF COOPERATION WITH
THE DIPLOMATIC SECURITY DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
STATE, AIMED AT SETTING UP AN EMBASSY GUARD SERVICE AND A
SYSTEM OF REGIONAL SECURITY OFFICES SIMILAR TO THAT USED
BY U.S. MISSIONS. SEVERAL SAUDI OFFICIALS FROM THE
MINISTRY'S SECURITY OFFICE TRAVELLED TO THE U.S. FOR
TRAINING IN WASHINGTON AND AT QUANTICO, AND A STATE
DEPARTMENT MOBILE TRAINING TEAM VISITED RIYADH TO OFFER
A SHORT COURSE IN THREAT AWARENESS AND SELF-DEFENSE TO
MINISTRY PERSONNEL. THE DEPARTMENT'S THREAT ASESSMENT
DIVISION ALSO SENT A TEAM TO SAUDI ARABIA TO CONSULT WITH
THE SAUDIS ABOUT SHARING INFORMATION IN THE FIELD OF
TERRORIST ACTIVITY.

FOLLOWING THE EXECUTIONS OF THE MECCA BOMBERS, AND
SUBSEQUENT THREATS OF RETALIATION BY HIZBULLAH AND OTHER
TERRORIST GROUPS, SAUDI SECURITY AGENCIES INTENSIFIED
INTERNAL CONTROLS, ESPECIALLY IN AIRPORTS AND IN THE
RIYADH AREA. THESE PRECAUTIONS WERE GRADUALLY RELAXED IN
THE FOLLOWING WEEKS, BUT AS OF EARLY DECEMBER, POLICE
WERE CONTINUING TO SET UP ROADBLOCKS AND CARRY OUT
IDENTIFICATION CHECKS ON AN APPARENTLY RANDOM BASIS,
ESPECIALLY IN THE RIYADH AREA.

- B. RESPONSE OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM, INCLUDING
EXTRADITION ACTIONS, ACTIONS ON TERRORISM AFFECTING
AMERICAN CITIZENS AND FACILITIES, OR DEALING WITH OTHER
SIGNIFICANT ACTS OF TERRORISM:

- AS NOTED ABOVE, THE SAUDI JUDICIAL SYSTEM WAS
CALLED INTO PLAY FOR THE TRIAL OF THE 29 PERSONS ARRESTED
FOR THE MECCA BOMBINGS. AFTER THE TRIAL BEFORE A SHARIA
COURT, THE SENTENCES WERE REVIEWED BY A CASSATION COURT,
NEXT BY A HIGHER APPEALS COURT, AND FINALLY BY THE KING,
WHICH IS STANDARD PRACTICE IN ALL SAUDI CASES INVOLVING
THE DEATH PENALTY. THOSE INVOLVED IN THE MECCA CASES
WERE ACTUALLY TRIED FOR THE CRIME OF "APOSTASY", BASED ON
THEIR DISRUPTION OF THE HAJJ, RATHER THAN UNDER THE 1988
DECREE ON TERRORISM, SABOTAGE AND HIJACKING.

- C. SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT, IF ANY, FOR INTERNATIONAL
TERRORISM, INCLUDING POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR
TERRORISTS; DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT THROUGH DIPLOMATIC
RECOGNITION, MISUSE OF THE DIPLOMATIC POUCH AND OTHER
PRIVILEGES TO SUPPORT TERRORISM; SANCTUARY EXTENDED TO
TERRORISTS OR TERRORIST GROUPS; AND POSITIONS TAKEN ON
TERRORISM ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL FORA, INCLUDING VOTING
RECORDS:

- THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT DOES NOT PROVIDE POLITICAL
OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM AND HAS
REPEATEDLY SPOKEN AND VOTED AGAINST TERRORIST ACTS IN
INTERNATIONAL FORA. SAUDI OFFICIALS MAKE A CAREFUL
DISTINCTION BETWEEN SUPPORT OF TERRORISM AND SUPPORT OF
THE PLO, WHICH THEY CONSIDER A LEGITIMATE NATIONAL
LIBERATION MOVEMENT, AND WERE ONE OF THE FIRST
GOVERNMENTS TO EXTEND RECOGNITION TO THE PALESTINIAN
"STATE." WHILE SUPPORTING THE PLO BOTH POLITICALLY AND
FINANCIALLY (INDEED, IT IS ONE OF THAT ORGANIZATION'S
LEADING DONORS),SAUDI ARABIA DECRYS ACTS OF TERRORISM
ALLEGEDLY COMMITTED IN THE NAME OF THE PALESTINIAN
CAUSE. SAUDI ARABIA IS NOT A KNOWN SANCTUARY FOR
TERRORISTS, NOR DOES IT MISUSE DIPLOMATIC PRIVILEGES TO
SUPPORT TERRORIST GROUPS.


FREEMAN