The so-called "Jihad in the Arab Peninsula Organization," said to be affiliated with terrorist outfit al-Qaeda, denied on Sunday that it was planning to carry out terrorist attacks on Muslim pilgrims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
“The Hajj pilgrimage represents one of the main pillars of Islam,” the group said in a statement. “We condemn all terrorist attacks on Muslims. Mecca is a holy place that should not be tarnished.”
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz had previously stated that he "could not rule out" terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda during this year's pilgrimage, which is currently underway.
“We don’t trust these people,” he was quoted as saying.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
