"Good results were achieved in Al-Madina," said Prince Nayef

RIYADH, May 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Saudi security forces have arrested the alleged mastermind of the May 12 bombing attacks  in Riyadh as well as several other suspects of al-Qaeda, newspapers reported Wednesday, May 28.

Okaz daily quoted informed sources as saying the arrests, including suspected mastermind Ali Abdulrahman al-Ghamdi, were made in the holy city of Al-Madina Al-Munawarah on Tuesday, May 27, when police stopped a jeep with the five men inside, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said his security forces had "detained a number of people a few days ago, and that yesterday (Tuesday) good results were achieved in Al-Madina."

He declined to provide details on the latest arrests or the names of arrestees, telling reporters in the northern city of Tabuk late Tuesday that the authorities preferred to wait until investigations had been completed.

Ghamdi is a member of the cell of 19 alleged terrorists whose names and pictures were released by the interior ministry only few days before the Riyadh attacks that left 34 people dead, including nine bombers.

However Al-Watan newspaper, quoting unnamed security sources, said at least eight suspects had been arrested in the raid on two districts in Al-Madina on Tuesday.

Ghamdi and two others were arrested at an internet cafe while five others were apprehended in a house used by the men, Al-Watan reported.

Saudi Arabia said the 19 suspects were members of al-Qaeda network who had planned to carry out major attacks in the kingdom.

Searches of the gunmen's hideout and their getaway car netted a huge cache of arms, including 55 hand grenades, 377 kilograms (830 pounds) of explosive, and 2,545 bullets of different calibres, as well as cash and disguises.

Prince Nayef said two weeks ago five “suicide” bombers' bodies had been identified, three of whom belonged to the cell of 19.

He also announced the arrest of four al-Qaeda members in connection with the attacks, but they were not members of the wanted cell.

Scholars Killed

Two Saudi scholars at large in the kingdom have been killed in a raid by Saudi special forces on a villa in Al-Madina, a Saudi opposition group charged Wednesday.

"Ali Khudhair al-Khudair and Ahmed bin Hmud al-Khaldi were killed during a raid on Monday undertaken by Saudi special forces on a villa where they had hidden out with their disciples, one of whom was also killed," Saad al-Faqih of the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia told AFP.

Several Islamist websites also reported the raid to net the two scholars, accused by the Saudi government of issuing fatwas, calling for jihad against the "Crusaders."

A third scholar, Nasser bin Hamad al-Fahd, is still sought by authorities after going into hiding with his two colleagues on March 20, just before the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz  had denounced the "terrorist" bombing attacks and vowed to clamp down on terror.

In a televised address, Prince Abdullah pledged to hunt down those who tried to commit "terrorist acts," asserting that the perpetrators would be punished in hell for their actions.

While flatly condemning the bombings as violation of Islamic Shariaa, Saudi scholars voiced their misgivings they could serve as a pretext to wage war on educational curricula.