Counter-Terrorism: Carrot and Stick in Saudi Arabia

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May 1, 2007: Saudi Arabia, despite being the al Qaeda "homeland", has been very effective in rounding up al Qaeda operatives. Part of that is because many Saudis are willing to inform on the terrorists, even if the informant is an al Qaeda fan, or the guy being flipped is a relative. It's a Saudi thing that's hard to explain. But this includes rather gentle treatment of Islamic radicals who turn themselves in. The lads (who have not killed anyone) are given several months of "re-education" (largely by more moderate clerics). Then jobs or other goodies (like an apartment or new car) are awarded to the graduates. This has led to some young Saudi men trying to scam the system for the rewards. There are now freelancers who will teach a young man how to scam the terrorist re-education system. It's feared that some of the scammers have succeeded.

Note that any terrorist who has actually killed someone, gets executed. The preferred method in Saudi Arabia is beheading.

 

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