Saudi Arabia reinforces its fight against terrorism and radicalism

Saudi Arabia is toughening its stance against radicalism and terrorism. The Saudi kingdom has recently carried out death sentences against seven people convicted of terrorist acts to show that the response against radicals remains forceful.  

The Saudi authorities are clear that this scourge must be eradicated. For the sake of national security and to maintain the great stability enjoyed by the country, which is very focused on continuing to implement the programme of social openness and economic consolidation it has been developing in recent years. Riyadh aims to establish itself as a key financial centre in the world and an economic and industrial benchmark in various sectors. To this end, it is implementing various reforms, most notably the Vision 2030 plan, which seeks to develop and strengthen different sectors in order to diversify the Saudi economy and avoid dependence on oil. Social reforms are also aimed at further modernising the country and achieving more and more social rights for the entire population, including women. To continue on this path, stability must be maintained, and terrorism is a destabilising element that has no place in the Saudi plan. This is why Saudi leaders seek to act firmly against any terrorist threat.  

In the last few days, four of those accused of terrorism have been executed, bringing to seven the number of death penalty convicts recently eliminated, most of them of Shia origin. But the Saudi kingdom is logically also acting against jihadist terrorism linked to the Sunni side of Islam, in fact, the Kingdom has for years faced terrorist attacks and plots led by Sunni extremist elements who pledged allegiance to terrorist groups such as Daesh or al-Qaeda. Indeed, Saudi Arabia is the main standard-bearer of the Sunni branch of Islam, which confronts the Shiite branch, predominant in other countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, a major political rival of the Saudi kingdom in the region.

The official SPA news agency reported the official announcement by the Saudi Interior Ministry of the execution of the seven Saudi nationals accused of espionage, setting up terrorist cells, attacking police officers and training with weapons and bombs. 

One of those executed, Ahmed bin Ali bin Maatouq, a Saudi national, "communicated with a hostile country, joined one of that country's camps and trained in weapons and bombs", SPA reported, citing an Interior Ministry statement on Tuesday, explaining that he had returned to the country "to implement his terrorist plan to violate the security of the Kingdom". 

On Monday, SPA also reported the execution of three people who were convicted of "joining a camp outside the Kingdom in the service of a terrorist organisation opposing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and training with weapons and bombs in their camps". 

He further stated that the authorities carried out the four executions in the Shia-majority eastern region, which has witnessed frequent unrest since 2011, while security forces thwarted terrorist operations there after suffering attacks involving radical Shia elements.  

Three other individuals had previously been sentenced to death for establishing terrorist cells, endangering the safety of police officers, connections with terrorist groups in conflict areas and various attacks against security forces in the eastern part of the country.  

Nevertheless, the number of executions has fallen since last year, with the Saudi authorities executing 36 people since the beginning of 2023, down from 147 the previous year, according to official figures, as reported by Al-Arab.  

Saudi Arabia is thus showing its firmness against the terrorist threat. Although the Saudi authorities also make it clear that the judiciary acts freely, without being under the dictate of power, applying the law, since, for example, in the case of those executed, they exhausted all avenues of recourse. One of the Saudi kingdom's primary objectives now is to preserve national security in order to avoid any destabilising element that might hinder national economic and social development.