Saudis crack down
on Islamic dissidents

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Saudi Arabia is quietly arresting suspected insurgents as well as dissidents believed capable of fomenting unrest during the Hajj pilgrimage next month. But Saudi authorities have encountered a key question of who will take responsibility for the crackdown.

Arab diplomatic sources said the kingdom has arrested scores of fundamentalists over the last month in several cities, including Jeddah, Mecca and Riyadh. The detained are believed to have organized pro-Islamic demonstrations that were meant to whip up anti-government sentiment.

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The arrests were conducted by Saudi Air Force intelligence units. The sources say the units are perhaps the only forces capable of taking action against dissident Islamic clergy and their followers.

The National Guard as well as the police have been either incapable or at times defiant of orders to arrest fundamentalists.

The unstated question in Riyadh is whether the unrest will peak in February when millions of pilgrims arrive in Mecca. Diplomatic sources said the Saudis fear that the unrest will begin with unauthorized marches by Muslims in Mecca that could quickly turn into anti-U.S. demonstrations.

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