Riyadh: Saudi Arabia said early today that it had broken up an Islamic State group plot to have suicide bombers attack Defense Ministry offices, while separately dismantling an alleged spy ring in the kingdom.
The dual announcements made by the Saudi Press Agency show the security challenges facing the kingdom.
The Islamic State plot targeted two headquarters of the Defense Ministry in Riyadh, a statement said. Security forces arrested two Yemeni men it said would have been the bombers, as well as two Saudi nationals.
Saudi state television aired images of what it described as suicide bomb belts, as well as homemade grenades seized by authorities. Officials also seized firearms and other weapons, as well as a home used by the plotters in a Riyadh neighborhood, the Saudi Press Agency said.
In a separate incident, SPA also announced the arrest of a spy ring.
It described the cell as made up of "Saudis and foreigners" who wanted to "stir up sedition and prejudice national unity." It said they worked for "the benefit of foreign parties against the security of the kingdom and its interests."