As Alphabet City has correctly noted, the mastermind behind the Riyadh bombings is none other than Ali Abdul Rahman al-Ghamdi, who was turned over to Saudi Arabia by Iran but then subsequently released.

A Tora Bora veteran, Ali Abdul Rahman, also known as Ali Abd Rahman al-Faqasi, was initially reported to have been arrested on May 15. Then both the New York Times and the Washington Post reported his arrest on May 28. This would generally be enough to convince most people that he had indeed been detained despite the earlier ambiguity. On June 1, however, Prince Nayef's Interior Ministry (which initially claimed he had been captured on May 15) is describing him as being among those wanted for involvement in the Riyadh bombing. So what exactly is going on in Saudi Arabia?

In any event, it is important to note that at least three of the suspected al-Qaeda operatives who have actually been detained by Saudi authorities also bear the al-Ghamdi surname. What I suspect we're seeing here is that the Saudi al-Qaeda are linked to one another by tight familial or tribal ties and covered for by official collusion, much the same way the Greek November 17 terrorists were. If true, it may explain how the network is able to operate so securely there.