Paris: Interpol said on Monday it had placed 47 Saudis on its most-wanted list after Saudi Arabia accused them of involvement in the al Qaeda terror network.
The publication by the international police body means all 188 member countries have received details about the suspects so national police forces can help track them down.
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia asked Interpol for its help in tracking the suspects beyond its borders. Saudi officials have said the men, ages 18 to 40, are believed to be outside the country.
Interpol`s statement said a spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry, Major General Mansour Al-Turki, said most of the men "posed a potentially serious public threat at home and abroad due to their suspected involvement with al Qaeda." He urged the men to turn themselves in to the authorities.
The international alerts, or "red notices”, that Interpol issued for the men are not tantamount to international arrest warrants. It is up to individual states to determine whether to act upon them.
The 47-man listing is one of the largest batches of "red notices" ever issued by Interpol at one time.
Saudi Arabia routinely releases lists of wanted al Qaeda suspects. The country has aggressively battled the group since a series of attacks inside the kingdom that began in 2003.
The al Qaeda offshoot that recently established a new base in neighbouring Yemen has carried out cross-border attacks in Saudi Arabia and is threatening more violence against the monarchy that rules Osama bin Laden`s homeland.
Bureau Report
