RIYADH, April 1: The Saudi government will put several militants on trial soon, Interior Minister Prince Naif said in an interview with a newspaper on Friday. The militants were arrested on charges of links to extremist activities in the country, the prince told the Al Hayat daily.

Prince Naif emphasised said the authorities had succeeded in foiling most of the terror attacks planned by the accused. “We have aborted about 90 per cent of the planned terror attacks,” he added.

Prince Nayef also said Saudi Arabia was working closely with the Iraqi government to monitor the Saudis who had joined the anti-American resistance, stressing the government would deal firmly with those who attempt to slip across the border into Iraq.

Saudis who go to Iraq are used as ‘explosives or suicide bombers’, Prince Naif was quoted as saying by the Al Hayat newspaper.

The Saudis say they are guarding the border stringently because they do not want a repeat of the problem they faced when militants returned home from Afghanistan to wage ‘jihad’ against the ruling family.

Prince Nayef told the paper that those arrested had given investigators crucial information.

“We’re delighted when we arrest a wanted person because we can rehabilitate him and get information that can help us and perhaps lead to the arrest of other members of the misguided group,” he was quoted as saying. ‘Misguided group’ is a term officials use to refer to militants.

He said the government would begin trying several of the men who have been arrested and that a court, which will be similar to a state security court, is being set up.

Hundreds of men have been arrested since Saudi Arabia launched an anti-terror campaign after the May 2003 attacks on residential compounds.