Saudi says it warned of al-Qaida threat from Yemen

[October 19, 2010]  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi Arabia warned other countries of a new terror threat by an al-Qaida offshoot based in neighboring Yemen, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

The Saudi warning is the latest in a series of alerts from security services in the United States and North Africa that have spiked fears of potential terror attacks in France and across Europe.

France said Monday that Saudi intelligence warned European officials that "Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was doubtless active or envisioned being active" on the "European continent, notably France."

Asked about France's comments, Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Mansour al-Turki told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Saudi officials had shared intelligence.

"Saudi Arabia has exchanged information with concerned parties as part of its effort to combat al-Qaida terrorism," he said. He did not name specific countries.

French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said Sunday that France had received warning of a potential al-Qaida attack "in the last few hours, few days."

This followed other warnings.

Hortefeux said the international police organization Interpol signaled on Sept. 9 an "Islamist threat on a world scale, and notably on the European continent."

A week later, France received a report -- later judged not fully credible -- of a possible attack by a woman suicide bomber.

Intelligence sources in North Africa and the United States also contacted France about a potential threat, Hortefeux said.

[Associated Press]

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