Mahmoud Ahmad, Arab News Staff

MADINAH, 18 November 2003 — One of two Saudis accused of hijacking a Saudi plane to Baghdad in October 2000 has been handed over to the Kingdom, Interior Minister Prince Naif has said.

“Jordan handed over the hijacker ... in accordance with security agreements, and he is being questioned,” Prince Naif told a press conference here late Sunday.

The Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 777 was hijacked by two security officers moments after leaving Jeddah for London.

The hijackers surrendered peacefully after forcing the jet to land at Baghdad airport, allowing everyone on board to walk away unharmed.

The two hijackers, Faisal Naji Al-Balawi and Ayesh Ali Al-Faridi, were arrested by the Iraqi authorities.

Al-Balawi, who has now been extradited, had left Iraq after the fall of Baghdad to the US-led coalition in April and gone to Jordan, where he was arrested.

Prince Naif also reiterated his rejection of any dialogue with terrorists.

“We reject dialogue with these terrorists,” he said, adding the punishment of those who surrender would be reduced.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd last week issued a warning to crush terrorism with an “iron fist” after the bombing of the Al-Muhaya Compound that killed at least 18 people and injured 120 others.

He said security forces were still hunting down the masterminds of the attack. “I’ve said this before, but I want to repeat it: Those who give themselves up, or give up their father or other relatives, their sentence will be reduced,” he said.

“If they share the same (militant) ideology but have not taken part in attacks, and they give themselves up and assists the security forces, we will treat them like upright citizens.” Surrender would have to be unconditional, he added.

The Kingdom has launched a crackdown on militants believed to be part of, or influenced by, the Al-Qaeda terror network.

Al-Qaeda, in an unauthenticated statement published on a militant website on Saturday, denied it had a role in the blast.

But Prince Naif said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the group and said Saudi Arabia was doing all it could to help international efforts to capture Osama Bin Laden.

“The training ... and the orientation is that of Al-Qaeda,” he said. “Our country is being targeted, and a group of ignorant people are being used by foreign forces to achieve their aims.”

But he said it was only a matter of time before they were caught. “It doesn’t matter how far they run, we will capture them with God’s will,” he added.

The interior minister said Saudi Arabia was ready to cooperate with any country to exterminate terrorism. “Bin Laden is not a Saudi and we reject calling him a Saudi national,” he said.

Prince Naif urged authorities of residential compounds to appoint trained Saudis, especially those who have worked in the army or police, as security guards. “We will treat them like any other security officer,” he said.

He was talking to reporters after chairing a meeting of the Supreme Commission for the Prince Naif International Prize for Sunnah and Islamic Studies.