Dubai: Saudi Arabia could consider revoking the citizenship of some people for security reasons, experts in legal affairs said.

The move would be similar to decisions taken by other Gulf countries, including Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, the experts were cited as saying in a report published by the London-based daily Al Hayat.

Saudi Arabia revoked the citizenship of former Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden in 1994 following the assassination of the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan and his accusation of plotting it, the daily said.

The citizenship withdrawal occurred before Bin Laden set up his terrorist organisation.

Under Saudi laws, citizenship can be revoked of anyone who takes up another nationality or works for the military force of another country without prior approval from the Saudi government. It could also be revoked from any Saudi who worked for another country at war with the Saudi kingdom or worked for a foreign government or an international organisation and refused to leave it despite orders from the Saudi government.

Saudi decisions to revoke citizenship have been rare, the daily added.

In 2004, thousands of people from Al Ghafran clan of the Al Murrah tribe were reportedly stripped of Qatari nationality amid claims that they hailed from Saudi Arabia and that they still held Saudi citizenship. Other reports said that they were linked to a coup attempt in 1995.

In December 2011, the UAE stripped six people of Emirati nationality after they “had committed acts posing a threat to the state’s security and safety”. All six had held another nationality before they were naturalised Emiratis.

Bahrain this year stripped several people of their Bahraini citizenship after they were charged with undermining the country’s security. The Bahraini parliament had been pushing for the tough action to help contain acts of terrorism and violence.

Kuwait last week revoked the citizenship of ten people, including a well-known religious figure, amid reports that more people would be stripped of the nationality.

Several dailies this week referred to an imminent government decision to announce the names of more people who would be stripped of Kuwaiti citizenship.