12 January 2004	Monday	19 Ziqa'ad 1424

RIYADH, Jan 11: Saudi Arabia has extradited to Rabat two Moroccan suspected militants in exchange for three Saudis jailed in Morocco on Al-Qaeda linked terror charges, the interior ministry said on Sunday.

"Security forces today received three Saudi citizens convicted and jailed in Morocco on security-related charges," said a ministry official quoted by the official SPA news agency.

He named them as Abdullah bin Misfer al-Ghamdi, Zuhair bin Hilal al-Thabiti and Hilal bin Jaber al-Assiri, who were sentenced by a Casablanca court in February 2003 to 10 years in prison for plotting attacks against Western targets in Morocco and the Strait of Gibraltar.

'The kingdom handed over to Moroccan security authorities two Moroccan nationals (wanted) for security-related issues," the official said. He identified the pair as Ali bin Idriss al-Uzli and Mohammad bin Mohammad Alwan.

On December 6, Saudi Arabia named two other Moroccans - Hussein Mohammad al-Haski and Kareem al-Tuhami al-Majati - among 26 suspects wanted for involvement in "terror acts" in the kingdom.

Sunday's swap "comes within the framework of cooperation between security authorities in the two brotherly countries," said the interior ministry official cited by SPA.-AFP