Contact Information: CONTACT: Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia Information Office Washington, DC (202) 337-4076
U.S. State Department Highlights Saudi Contributions to Counterterrorism
| Source: Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - May 1, 2009) - The United States Department of State has
recognized in its 2008 Country
Reports on Terrorism the counterterrorism efforts made by the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia. The annual study cited ongoing steps taken by the Saudi
government to publicly combat extremist ideology and to effectively
eliminate terrorist threats. The report also noted the level of
international cooperation being made by Saudi government and intelligence
officials. The report stated:
"The Saudi government continued to make strides in its public
counterterrorism programs... Saudi cooperation is significant, and U.S. law
enforcement and intelligence agencies have benefited and continue to
benefit from Saudi information and intelligence on individuals and
organizations. U.S. law enforcement agencies have provided counterterrorism
training to Saudi security services in both Saudi Arabia and in the United
States."
The report also addressed several specific areas, including the extensive
media campaign launched by the Saudi government to educate Saudis on the
proper teachings of Islam and to prevent the spread of extremist ideology.
The report stated:
"The campaign included messages incorporated into Friday sermons at
mosques, distribution of literature and tapes, and article postings on the
Internet. In 2007, the Kingdom issued identification cards to imams and
religious leaders to curb instances of unauthorized persons delivering
Friday sermons. In 2008, the government continued to monitor the licensed
imams and looked for instances of 'illegal sermons.'"
The report noted the progress made in the area of terror financing,
highlighting how Saudi banks are required to report suspicious transactions
to the Kingdom's Financial Investigations Unit (FIU). Rules and regulations
have been developed for charitable organizations, to prevent terrorist
financing. The report stated:
"Saudi Arabia took action against suspected terrorist financiers by
freezing their accounts and confiscating their assets. The Saudi government
has frozen assets and accounts belonging to individuals designated by the
1267 committee, and also imposed the required travel ban on these
individuals."
For more information on Saudi Arabia's counterterrorism efforts, visit the
Saudi Embassy website at www.saudiembassy.net
This is distributed by Qorvis Communications, LLC on behalf of the Royal
Embassy of Saudi Arabia. Additional information is available at the
Department of Justice, Washington, DC.