more on moslem criminals

Saudi vows to hunt militants if it takes "decades"
08 May 2004 19:17:36 GMT

RIYADH, May 8 (Reuters) - Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah vowed on Saturday to hunt down militants for "decades" if necessary, and warned Saudis not to sympathise with the attackers who are bent on toppling the ruling family.

"By the will of God, we will track down these people however long it takes -- 20 years, 30 years, decades or even more," the oil-rich kingdom's de facto ruler said in remarks broadcast on Saudi state television.

"We cannot be lenient with this deviant faction," he added.

Prince Abdullah's remarks come a week after militants killed five Westerners in an unprecedented attack on a petrochemical plant in the Red Sea city of Yanbu. At least six people were also killed this month in a suicide bombing at a security headquarters in the capital Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, has been battling supporters of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network since May last year after a spate of suicide bombings in the capital Riyadh killed 50 people, including foreigners.

Last week, a statement purportedly from the top al Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia praised the Yanbu attack, in which the militants dragged the body of an American through the streets.

The kingdom has launched a media campaign to turn the public against the militants and is offering rewards of up to $1.9 million for information leading to their whereabouts.

Prince Abdullah also warned Saudis not to support what he called "those who sow corruption and terror".

"I warn and caution... everyone not to be silent as silence means that you are one of them," he said. "Anybody who is silent over what happened in Riyadh and Yanbu is one of them