RIYADH, June 24: The Saudi interior ministry announced on Thursday that a terror suspect had surrendered, the first reported case since an amnesty was offered the previous day to Al Qaeda militants involved in a wave of violence.

"The citizen Saaban bin Mohammad bin Abdullah al-Laylahi al-Shihri, who was wanted in a security-related case and had been missing (for two years), surrendered to security authorities," a ministry official was quoted as saying by the Saudi Press Agency.

He did so "a few hours" after King Fahd offered an amnesty on Wednesday to suspects who turned themselves in within a month, the official said. "In accordance with the royal instructions, he was allowed to visit his family and stay with them until the date of his interrogation (for the charges) attributed to him is set," the official added.

Under the amnesty, which guaranteed personal safety for those who repent, the state would drop all charges, while reserving the right of individuals harmed by terror acts to either seek redress through the courts or waive any claims. -AFP