Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Qatar did not pass any new terrorism
legislation or make significant changes to border security procedures. There were no significant
arrests or prosecutions in terrorist cases, or incidents requiring response, including terrorism
affecting U.S. citizens or facilities in 2012.
Countering Terrorist Finance: Qatar is a member of the MENAFATF. In 2012, in addition to
regular outreach to financial institutions, Qatar’s Financial Intelligence Unit, a member of the
Egmont Group, launched a multi-year strategy to promote greater transparency in financial
transactions including issuing guidelines obligating reporting on suspicious transactions. Qatar’s
Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law of 2010 requires Qatar’s Public
Prosecutor to freeze the funds of terrorist organizations designated by the UNSC, and the
government has begun to distribute lists of UN-designated terrorist entities and individuals to
financial institutions. Implementation, however, remained inconsistent. For further information
on money laundering and financial crimes, we refer you to the 2013 International Narcotics
Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes:
http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.
Regional and International Cooperation: Qatar is a member of the Global Counterterrorism
Forum, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Qatari government did not
participate in any notable counterterrorism activities with those organizations in 2012, however.
Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism: The Doha International Center for
Interfaith Dialogue (a semi-public institute established by executive decree in 2007) organized a
lecture series in 2012, with the Faculty of Islamic Studies at the Qatar Foundation, to help Qatari
teachers “equip students with the skills and understanding to interact and communicate
effectively and respectfully with other cultures.” The Government of Qatar also contracted a
Doha-based private institute to study best practices in countering narratives used by terrorist
groups to recruit members. The first of three research papers, published in February 2012,
focused on EU engagement programs to reduce violent conflict.
SAUDI ARABIA
Overview: During 2012, the Government of Saudi Arabia continued its long-term
counterterrorism strategy to track and halt the activities of terrorists and terrorist financiers,
dismantle the physical presence of al-Qa’ida, and impede the ability of militants to operate from
or within the Kingdom. As part of this strategy, Saudi authorities also continued public trials of
individuals suspected of engaging in or supporting terrorism. In August, Saudi authorities
announced they had discovered and partially rounded up two separate terrorist cells (one in
Riyadh and the other in Jeddah) affiliated with al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula
(AQAP). AQAP continued to be the Kingdom's primary terrorist threat, and efforts to counter
this threat were hampered by the ongoing instability in Yemen. Throughout the year, AQAP
noticeably stepped up its efforts to inspire sympathizers throughout Saudi Arabia in an effort to
compensate for difficulties in carrying out cross-border attacks. Saudi Arabia continued to
maintain a robust counterterrorism relationship with the United States and supported enhanced
bilateral cooperation to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens within Saudi territories and beyond.
2012 Terrorist Incidents: Beyond the two disrupted terrorist cells in August, there were at least
two incidents involving suspected terrorists along the Saudi-Yemeni border. On October 14,
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