Saudi Arabia Reports Preventing ISIS Attack and Arresting 'Foreign Spies'

On September 12, Saudi Arabia announced that it had thwarted a planned attack by ISIS on its Ministry of Defense. Riyadh also separately reported the arrest of members of what it called 'a spy ring.' Saudi security officials stated that two Yemeni citizens, living in Saudi Arabia under false identities, intended to carry out a suicide attack on the Ministry of Defense using explosive belts. According to Saudi officials, these two individuals were arrested along with two Saudi citizens who were also involved in the planning of the attack. Security forces, as reported by official Saudi media, also discovered hand grenades and explosives. Currently, Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition in Yemen aimed at restoring power to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who fled from Sana'a to Aden and then to Saudi Arabia due to the Houthi rebellion and the military supporters of the former president. The Houthis are backed by Iran. Yemen is also a location for ISIS and Al-Qaeda members in the Arabian Peninsula, who have been targeted in some cases by American forces. The Saudi state news agency, in a separate report, mentioned the arrest of members of what has been termed 'a spy ring.' According to this news agency, Saudi citizens and several foreign nationals are among those arrested. The news agency claimed that the detainees intended to incite 'sedition' and were active for 'foreign parties, against the security of the Saudi kingdom and its interests.' No further details about these arrests have been released.