Epic Security Fail In Saudi Arabia

A high profile al Qaeda terrorist somehow managed to infiltrate a secure airport in Saudi Arabia and nearly killed the Saudi deputy interior minister in a suicide bomb attack, which wounded several of his guards.

This terrorist managed to slip through a border checkpoint between Yemen and Saudi Arabia and then checkpoints at the Jeddah airport.

A statement posted on jihadist forums by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said Abdullah Hassan Taleh Asiri passed through checkpoints at Najran airport, near the Yemeni border, and Jeddah airport, the US monitoring service said.

He then boarded Prince Mohammed bin Nayef's private jet with his explosives, according to the statement, which said he finally blew himself up amongst the prince's guards.

"The essence and the method of detonation are not and will never be known," the Al-Qaeda statement said.

"Receive glad tidings, O you tyrants, of what will hurt you. Your fortresses will never prevent us from reaching you. We have scaled their walls and we will reach you very soon," it said.

Asiri was on a list of 85 men wanted by the Saudi authorities, it added.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Kurbi said on Sunday that the bomber was in Yemen before crossing to Saudi Arabia.

"This Saudi element was in Yemen among a Saudi terrorist group which is being chased... Yemen has not stopped hunting for them," he told AFP.

Official Saudi news agency SPA reported on Friday that Prince Mohammed, a royal family member who leads the kingdom's anti-terror fight, escaped with just minor injuries from the suicide bomb attack in Jeddah.

Apart from the bomber, who was killed, no other serious casualties were reported.

The royal court said the bomber was a wanted "terrorist" who had approached the prince under the pretext that he wanted to give himself up. He detonated his device while he was undergoing security checks, it added.

Al Qaeda had claimed that their attack successfully killed the Prince on a website attributed to the terror group in the Arabian peninsula.

The prince is the son of Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who has been in office since 1975. He serves as the minister’s assistant for security affairs.

The bomber had served time in prison before, but was released and made his way to Yemen where he linked up with al Qaeda. The bomber's father claims that his son was snatched from him, which sounds awfully typical of those in denial of their relative's heinous activities. That report also indicates that the bomber actually flew on the Prince's plane before carrying out the attack.