Saudis applaud as Qaeda man turns self in

Saudi Arabia's rehabilitation programme for militants and ex-Guantanamo prisoners is working effectively, an official said yesterday after an Al-Qaeda operative handed himself in to the authorities.
Mohamed Atiq Awayd al-Awfi, who was a former Guantanamo detainee, turned himself in to the Yemeni authorities in Sanaa and was flown to Riyadh late on Tuesday, a week after his name appeared on a list of 85 men wanted by the government, the Saudi interior ministry spokesman said.
"The return of Awfi proves the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programme that the interior ministry carries out," Mansour al-Turki told AFP.
"The programme is capable of helping those (ex-militants) realise the truth that they were being abused by the terrorist groups."
Turki was referring to a rehabilitation programme launched by Saudi Arabia, where Al-Qaeda-linked fighters sporadically launch attacks, to help militants abandon violence.