I was discussing that with a friend and to be honest , i dont buy it ..
172 arrest without a single shot .. i remember more drama when arresting a dozen or even less …
Weapons hidden in the desert ??

It just doesnt add up .

Riyadh - Police in Saudi Arabia arrested 172 suspected militants linked to seven terrorist cells including Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network in a series of raids in different cities, a spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry said Friday.

The suspects included several Saudi nationals and people of Yemeni and African origin, mainly Nigerian. Observers in Saudi Arabia said the raids had been staged over several months.

They had been planning terrorist attacks on oil facilities and refineries and military bases using aircraft, spokesman Mansur al- Turki said, adding that several suspects had been trained as pilots.

The largest cell had 61 members, and had been planning to assassinate officials in Mecca, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Nine members had planned to free their comrades from a prison in Jeddah.

Their leader had apparently selected them while they were going around the Kaaba in Mecca, as Muslim pilgrims do during Hajj.

The leader of the cell had operated several sports’ clubs where the recruits were being trained, the source added.
Other cells had been planning to assassinate public figures and officials and attack military bases.

Five of the 172 suspects were reportedly involved in a terrorist attack last year. On February 24, 2006, Saudi security forces foiled an attempted suicide attack on an oil processing facility in eastern Saudi Arabia.

A weapons cache including several weapon and more than 20 million Saudi riyals (around 5.3 million dollars) had been seized, the spokesman added said, adding, ‘…al-Qaeda was still trying to revive its activities.’

Islamist militants linked to the al-Qaeda network have staged a series of attacks in Saudi Arabia in recent years, targeting mainly foreigners and security personnel.