![Saudi authorities released this photo of explosive belts seized from an 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' cell during a raid on their safe house in northern Riyadh. [Photo courtesy of the Saudi Press Agency]](/cnmi_am/images/2017/09/12/9557-Saudi-explosive-belts-700_496.webp)
Saudi Arabian authorities on Tuesday (September 12th) announced that security forces had foiled a suicide bomb plot targeting the Ministry of Defence in Riyadh.
Four men -- two Yemenis and two Saudis -- have been arrested in connection with the alleged "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) plot.
The would-be suicide bombers were named as Yemeni nationals Ahmed Yasser al-Kaldi and Ammar Ali Mohammed, who were carrying forged identity documents, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The two Saudi nationals who were assisting them have not yet been named.
![Saudi forces raided this 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' safe house in northern Riyadh, hidden inside an enclosed courtyard, and arrested four cell members. [Photo courtesy of the Saudi Press Agency]](/cnmi_am/images/2017/09/12/9558-Saudi-safe-house-700_496.webp)
Saudi forces raided this 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' safe house in northern Riyadh, hidden inside an enclosed courtyard, and arrested four cell members. [Photo courtesy of the Saudi Press Agency]
![Saudi forces arrested four 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' cell members inside this safe house in northern Riyadh, where they had allegedly sheltered and trained. [Photo courtesy of the Saudi Press Agency]](/cnmi_am/images/2017/09/12/9559-Saudi-safe-house2-700_496.webp)
Saudi forces arrested four 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' cell members inside this safe house in northern Riyadh, where they had allegedly sheltered and trained. [Photo courtesy of the Saudi Press Agency]
The arrests took place in a safe house near Riyadh, military expert and former Saudi military attaché Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Shehri told Al-Mashareq.
The raid was conducted a short time before the planned date of the attack, he said, and took place quietly and suddenly.
The exact date of the arrests was not announced.
According to a reliable source, al-Shehri said, not one shot was fired during the precisely executed operation, which took the ISIS cell by surprise.
Two explosive belts, each weighing seven kilogrammes, were seized during the raid, along with nine homemade grenades, firearms and knives.
The plot to attack the heavily fortified Ministry of Defence reveals the extent of ISIS's desperation, al-Shehri said.
That the group would even contemplate attacking ministry headquarters indicates that in the wake of its losses in Syria and Iraq it feels the need to "gamble" on suicide operations in order to preserve its reputation, he said.
The ministry headquarters have a complex defence system that would have blocked the attack even if the attackers had managed to get near it, he noted.
Each and every one in the Arab nation always tries to destroy each other. Why shouldn’t we? We don't know, although most of us believe in Islam which calls for fraternity, solidarity and cohesion, and many other concepts that have become useless. I don’t know what one will benefit when another is killed and his blood is spilled in front of him. There is no doubt that these are worldly ambitions, foremost among which are domination, hegemony, throne, etc. The religion of Islam which we believe in must have an impact. The Prophet (PBUH) says that all things of a Muslim are inviolable for his brother-in-faith: his blood, his property and his honour.
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A state’s keenness on securing its facilities is necessary. A state shouldn’t be fragile without sovereignty. However, what really matters here is that the cause be primarily just and that others’ assaults be not reactions to assaults. The scientific rule says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
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