Saudi king pardons Libyans

Published August 10, 2005

RIYADH, Aug 9: Three Libyans, including two intelligence officers, allegedly involved in a plot to assassinate Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz have been pardoned by the new monarch, a Saudi security source said on Tuesday.

The officers are Abdul Fattah al-Ghosh, who was arrested by Saudi security forces in Makkah in November 2003, and Colonel Mohammed Ismael, who fled to Cairo before being handed back by Egyptian authorities.

The third Libyan is a civilian, the security source told AFP.

An official statement said on Monday that Abdullah had pardoned a number of Libyans accused of plotting to assassinate him in 2003, but it did not give details.

The amnesty came on the same day as Abdullah, who acceded to the throne after the death of King Fahd last week, also pardoned three reformists, their lawyer and an activist.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

MATTERS have worsened in the stand-off between the Azad Kashmir government and the Joint Awami Action Committee,...
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....
Soft on traders
08 Jun, 2026

Soft on traders

THE Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200m has been designed as a ‘pragmatic...
Ceasefire in name
Updated 08 Jun, 2026

Ceasefire in name

Both sides accuse the other of violating the truce that was supposed to halt the conflict in April, yet neither appears willing to abandon negotiations altogether.
Damaged childhoods
08 Jun, 2026

Damaged childhoods

CHILD abuse is so prevalent that the UN ranked Pakistan as the least safe country for children. Even so, more than...