Canada Holds 2 Saudi Suspects in Dhahran Bombing

TORONTO —  Canadian immigration officials have detained two Saudi Arabians in connection with the bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, last summer that killed 19 U.S. airmen and injured hundreds of others, and one has emerged as a focus of FBI attention, U.S. and Canadian officials said Saturday.

Hani Abdel Rahim Sayegh was detained in Ottawa on Tuesday as “a security risk to Canada,” said Benoit Chiquette, spokesman for Canada’s immigration minister.

Chiquette said he could not elaborate on the reasons for the detention, but he said there was enough concern about Sayegh for both Citizenship and Immigration Minister Lucienne Robillard and Solicitor General Herbert Gray to sign documents ordering his arrest.

In Washington, the FBI issued a statement saying it hoped to question Sayegh, 28, about the June 25 bombing of the Khobar Towers barracks, home to American military personnel and others stationed in Saudi Arabia.

The FBI statement indicated that Sayegh’s arrest was the result of cooperation among U.S., Saudi and Canadian investigators in identifying and locating him.

An official with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said the arrest certificate was based on the agency’s belief that Sayegh had committed a criminal act abroad, had been involved in an act of terrorism and was a member of a terrorist organization.

Under Canadian law, the arrest certificate will be reviewed by a federal judge; if it is found to have been warranted, a deportation hearing will begin.

The second Saudi, Fahad Shehri, also is in the custody of Canadian immigration officials. Immigration authorities said he arrived in Canada in December, claiming refugee status. As he was being interviewed by Canadian authorities, he said he needed protection in Canada because he was being sought in Saudi Arabia in connection with the bombing and feared for his life.