July 19, 2019

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday new statistics on the number of foreign detainees arrested and charged with terrorism and working against state security in the kingdom. There are currently 1,050 foreigners detained on these charges, including 75 Egyptians.

The latest update issued by the Saudi Interior Ministry revealed that the number of Saudis arrested on terrorism charges is 4,201, about 80 per cent of prisoners, while the remaining 1,050 are a mix of 40 nationalities.

According to the Saudi Interior Ministry, “Yemenis lead the foreign detainees, at 358, while the second [is Syrians] at 259 prisoners, then Egyptians at 75 prisoners and Pakistanis at 73 prisoners.”

The Saudi state security service said that among the detainees are those who have been sentenced or who will appeal, while others are awaiting the referral of the prosecution, the enforcement of the directives issued against them, or are still under investigation.

On Friday security authorities in Kuwait arrested eight Egyptians described as a “terrorist cell” which belong “to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.”

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that they had been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison by Egyptian courts and that they had fled to Kuwait to avoid prosecution by the Egyptian security forces.

On Sunday Kuwaiti authorities handed them over to their Egyptian counterparts.