Saudi authorities announced on Sunday they had foiled a "terror" plot by elements suspected of links to Al-Qaeda, mostly Yemenis, and busted two extremist cells in Riyadh and Jeddah. The interior ministry said in a statement the suspects were "in contact with the deviant organisation abroad," a term usually used to refer to the Al-Qaeda jihadist network. The suspects were working on "recruiting elements to execute criminal attacks targeting security forces, citizens and foreign residents, as well as public installations," it said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency. The ministry said two Saudis and six Yemenis were arrested, and it also named two nationals as wanted for questioning. "Investigations revealed that those elements were at an advanced stage... including preparing explosives and testing them outside Riyadh," the ministry said, adding that one suspect accidentally lost a finger during the tests. The first Saudi suspect turned out to be the head of the cell in Riyadh, and he gave "detailed information" that led to the arrest of the six Yemenis, who also confessed to taking part in the plot, it said.
