Saudi Arabia officials have confirmed that they have arrested 93 people who are suspected to belong to an Islamic State cell. The Islamic State cell in the country was planning attacks that were foiled by the officials including an attack on the US embassy.
The Islamic State cell had set up shop in the remote area of al-Qassim region and was planning suicide bombings. The cell was targeting the capital Riyadh especially the US embassy, residential areas, security headquarters among other areas across the Gulf Kingdom.
According to the Interior ministry, among the arrested, 65 members of the Islamic State cell were involved in a plot to target residential areas and operations to incite religious rebellion. Another faction was testing car bombs and was targeting to attack security headquarters and soldiers.
The arrest of the 93 people spread through from December and it has been progressive using the help of intelligence officers and civilians of the kingdom.
The arrest began after the leader of the Islamic State; Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi instructed his followers to launch attacks on Saudi Arabia targeting members of the royal family, Western expatriates and the Shia minority in Sunni-dominated country. The instructions were given accompanied by a kill list.
Saudi Arabia is very keen in protecting her citizenry seeing as it is conducting airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthi rebels and the recent crackdown of the Islamic State cell trying to infiltrate the kingdom.
