Julian McBride
Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s numerous influential countries and a leading member state of the Arab League in terms of soft power. Nevertheless, the Kingdom has been enshrouded in controversy, particularly Islamic extremism.
In the early 2000s, against the backdrop of the September 11th Attacks and the Global War on Terror, Saudi Arabia became embroiled in deadly terrorism and massacres by al-Qaeda, which successfully infiltrated the Kingdom. Realizing an existential threat that not only killed hundreds of civilians but was a public relations nightmare, Riyadh needed to act decisively and combat the root of extremism within the Saudi Kingdom.
Then, in the spotlight due to extremist indoctrination, Riyadh put its foot down and clamped down on al-Qaeda inside the country in a major crackdown against extremism while simultaneously providing key programs and services to mitigate terrorism inside Saudi Arabia. Forcing al-Qaeda to merge with its sister branch in Yemen, the extremist organization no longer has a foothold in Saudi Arabia, yet it remains a formidable challenge to Riyadh’s regional security apparatus today.
Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia
In the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks, Osama Bin Laden, a former Saudi citizen, called for multiple branches of al-Qaeda to be created and expanded, including the Kingdom itself. Yusuf al-Ayeri would be the first leader of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia/the Land Between Two Mosques (AQBH).
AQBH’s goals included the deaths of Westerners and the expulsion of the US military from Saudi Arabia, the overthrow of the pro-Western royal family, and the establishment of an even more strict Islamic state in the Kingdom. Osama Bin Laden stated in prior manifestos that one of his justifications for his extremist activities was American troops stationed in the Kingdom during the Gulf War, instead of the royal family using his militiamen for defense.
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