The discovery of Saudi military weapons in an al Qaeda safe house earlier this month reportedly has led to an investigation into the possibility that members of the Saudi Arabian National Guard have been illicitly selling arms to the terrorist network. The Washington Post said in Monday’s edition that, according to officials in the United States and the Saudi government, there was no indication that the National Guard had been penetrated by al Qaeda or had sympathizers in high places. The incident, however, comes at a time when the Saudi government has been under withering criticism in the United States for its perceived failure to get tough with Islamic militants who are seen as being sympathizers, if not outright supporters, of al Qaeda. The Saudi guard has had problems in the past with weapons missing from its inventories and a small number of officers are known to be involved in the illegal arms trade. The alleged arms dealers were apparently motivated by the prospect of making easy money rather than political ideology and were able to operate without much interference from the Saudi government. Full Story
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