Saudis arrest 40 suspected members of al-Qaida

Saudi authorities have arrested 40 suspected members of the al-Qaida terror network and seized a large cache of weapons and explosives, the official Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday. Quoting an unnamed Interior Ministry official, the agency said security forces have carried out simultaneous operations, rounding up suspects in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the Eastern province, Qassim in the north and Asir in the south. The agency did not say when the arrests were made. Of the 40, authorities arrested 19 suspected of financing terror attacks and disseminating "disinformation on the Internet," the official said. The 19 included Saudis and "residents," he said, without providing details on their nationalities.