Al Qaida man surrenders

last updated 8 January 2015

Riyadh

A top associate of Osama bin Laden turned himself in to the Saudi Embassy in Iran this week, apparently in an effort to claim amnesty. “He was a big fish,” one Saudi official said. In a bid to capture those responsible for terrorist acts on Saudi territory, the Saudi government announced last month that any Islamic militants who came forward voluntarily and recanted would escape the death penalty. But officials said that Khaled al-Harbi, who has apparently been living near the Afghan-Iranian border, was not wanted for any Saudi Arabian attacks and was therefore not eligible for the amnesty. Al-Harbi appears on a 2001 videotape talking to bin Laden about the 9/11 attacks. He reportedly fought the Soviets alongside bin Laden in Afghanistan, losing both his legs.