A Saudi diplomat in Washington said in comments published here Friday that two Saudis detained for questioning after the terror attacks in the United States remain under arrest.
But Mahmoud Qattan, deputy chief of the Saudi Information Center at the embassy, declined to give the reason for their continued detention or reveal their identity, al-Watan newspaper reported.
Qattan said the embassy had appointed lawyers to help the two.
A number of Saudis were detained and interrogated in the wake of the deadly attacks after a Federal Bureau of Investigation list of suspects showed that a majority of the people on the list were Saudis.
Families of eight Saudis whose names appeared on the FBI list have said their sons have left the kingdom, mostly for jihad [holy war] in Chechnya.
The family of a ninth suspect, Mohanad al-Shehri, said Friday their 24-year-old son left for Chechnya two years ago. He called his mother in March to greet her on an Islamic feast.
Nothing has been heard of the nine since the September 11 kamikaze attacks in New York and Washington, which have left more than 6,000 presumed dead, and many had not been heard of for long periods.
At least 11 of the 19 people on the FBI list are believed to be Saudis. But several Saudi suspects were found alive in the kingdom and elsewhere and categorically denied any role in the attacks -- RIYADH (AFP)
