Quarter of Saudi jihadis ‘have returned’

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has said that 25 per cent of the country’s fighters, including individuals wanted in security cases in Syria, have returned home.

Mansour Al Turki, spokesperson for the country’s interior ministry, said the exact number of fighters who have returned is still unknown, adding that some of the fighters may not be aware of the amnesty offered to them by their government, Al Sharq Al Awsat reported.

Saudi Arabia on March 7 ordered its nationals fighting abroad, including those in Syria, to return within 15 days or face legal action.

Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud issued an order last month to jail the country’s nationals fighting abroad or belonging to terrorist groups to between three and 20 years.

The order also covers members of local, regional and international “extreme religious and terrorist groups”.

Supporting such organisations or offering financial assistance will also incur imprisonment. Convicted military personnel, in particular, will be sentenced from five to 30 years.