(Guardian-UK) The new Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Turki al-Faisal, is not what he seems. Behind him lies a murky tale of espionage, terrorism, and torture. Relatives of the victims of 11 September accuse him of funding and supporting Osama bin Laden. Turki has now admitted for the first time that Saudi interrogators have tortured six British citizens arrested in Saudi Arabia and accused of carrying out a bombing campaign. A Taliban intelligence chief called Mullah Kakshar alleges that Turki had two meetings in 1998 with al Qaeda and that Turki helped seal a deal whereby al Qaeda would not attack Saudi targets. In return, Saudi Arabia would make no demands for extradition or the closure of bin Laden's network of training camps. Turki also promised financial assistance to Mullah Omar. A few weeks after the meetings, 400 new pick-up vehicles arrived in Kandahar. Turki also arranged for donations to be made directly to al Qaeda and bin Laden by a group of wealthy Saudi businessmen.
2003-03-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive