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Al Qaeda has warned Saudi Arabia it will pay for the executions of dozens of its members, saying they were intended to be a new year’s gift to Riyadh’s Western allies aimed at consolidating the rule of the Saud dynasty.
Though it was the killing of a Shi-ite cleric in the Jan. 2 mass execution which sparked a crisis between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran, most of the 47 executed were al Qaeda militants convicted of bombings and gun attacks in the kingdom.
In a statement dated Jan. 10, al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch and its North African wing said Riyadh had gone ahead with the executions despite a warning not to do so.
“But they (Riyadh) insisted on offering the blood of the good Mujahideen as a sacrifice for the Crusaders on their holiday, in the New Year,” the two groups said in the statement posted on social media.
“Let them wait for the day when God will heal the chests of the families of the martyrs, their brothers and those who love them from the arrogant infidel,” it added.
Al Qaeda’s Yemen branch threatened in December to “shed the blood of the soldiers of Al Saud” if its members were executed.
Last week, Islamic State, a Sunni rival of al Qaeda, threatened to destroy Saudi Arabian prisons holding jihadists after the executions.
Both organisations are fighting against Saudi Arabia, which has declared them terrorist groups and locked up thousands of their supporters.
Al Qaeda has warned Saudi Arabia it will pay for the executions of dozens of its members, saying they were intended to be a new year’s gift to Riyadh’s Western allies aimed at consolidating the rule of the Saud dynasty.
Though it was the killing of a Shi-ite cleric in the Jan. 2 mass execution which sparked a crisis between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran, most of the 47 executed were al Qaeda militants convicted of bombings and gun attacks in the kingdom.
In a statement dated Jan. 10, al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch and its North African wing said Riyadh had gone ahead with the executions despite a warning not to do so.
“But they (Riyadh) insisted on offering the blood of the good Mujahideen as a sacrifice for the Crusaders on their holiday, in the New Year,” the two groups said in the statement posted on social media.
“Let them wait for the day when God will heal the chests of the families of the martyrs, their brothers and those who love them from the arrogant infidel,” it added.
Al Qaeda’s Yemen branch threatened in December to “shed the blood of the soldiers of Al Saud” if its members were executed.
Last week, Islamic State, a Sunni rival of al Qaeda, threatened to destroy Saudi Arabian prisons holding jihadists after the executions.
Both organisations are fighting against Saudi Arabia, which has declared them terrorist groups and locked up thousands of their supporters.
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