Qaeda says opposed to attacks on pilgrims

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said in a statement posted on the Internet on Sunday that it is against attacks targeting hajj pilgrims in Makkah, after Saudi Arabia expressed fears of such attacks.

"We assure our Islamic nation that we are against any criminal action aimed at the pilgrims," AQAP, the Al Qaeda branch in Yemen, said in a statement posted on an Islamist website.

Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said on Wednesday that he could not rule out the possibility of a sabotage attempt by Al Qaeda during the annual hajj pilgrimage to Saudi holy sites which began on Sunday.

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