Al Qaeda-Run Camps Discovered in Desert

Authorities have discovered Al Qaeda-run camps in the Saudi desert where militants were trained to carry out terrorist attacks, an Interior Ministry official said.

The statement was the first confirmation that the Al Qaeda network had infiltrated Saudi Arabia.

The government previously had acknowledged that there could be Al Qaeda training facilities in the Persian Gulf kingdom, but it gave no details.

The camps were set up to train militants to use weapons and prepare for terrorist operations, the official said on condition of anonymity. He did not specify the number of camps or say when they were found. Weapons seized from the camps will be turned over to the military, he said.