The Religious Policeman

After all the Police screw-ups of the last few days, they find the "Missing GMC". They've been looking for the "Missing GMC", supposedly full of explosives, since February. There was a 7m Riyal ($2m) reward for reporting it. But nobody spotted it. Then it suddenly turns up in Riyadh, the day after the latest Police debacle. So the Police are doing their job after all. What a stroke of good fortune!

Explosives-Laden Missing GMC Found in Riyadh

RIYADH, 18 April 2004 — An explosives-laden 1991 GMC Suburban wanted by the Ministry of the Interior since February has been found in the Al-Sulai district in south Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency said yesterday.

The ministry in February put out a warrant for the dark gray truck saying the vehicle was “loaded with explosives that could be used in a terrorist attack” and posting an SR7 million reward for information leading to its seizure.

The GMC was last spotted in Al-Rabwa district in February

It's curious, though, that there's no picture of the GMC. There's a photo of "Locals inspect the spot" where it was found abandoned



but no police tape or forensic teams still combing the area, considering the clues that might be found nearby. And the "mystery Egyptian", who said "“The GMC has been parked there for the past three days. Every day as I would stroll around the area I would see it there... but I never got close to it because I was afraid it was stolen or something,” - but he never reported it, for a potential 7m SR reward?. That reward has been the talk of the city, it's a fortune by anybody's standards, I thought every GMC in Saudi Arabia had been reported to the Police by now, no harm in trying, but it never occured to the "mystery Egyptian" to call it in. Perhaps he's a multi-millionaire already, doesn't need to bother.

So excuse me a little scepticism about this item. The Police desperately need a snippet of good news, maybe the Saudi Ministry of Truth (aka Saudi Press Agency) just created one for them.