British police warn unnamed Saudi dissident of ‘life-threatening danger’

The British police have warned a Saudi dissident of a “life-threatening danger,” saying that he was placed under its protection.

A London-based Saudi opponent was quoted by BBC-Arabic on Tuesday night as saying that the UK police placed him under tight protection after being warned of a “life-threatening danger.”

London police refused to comment on the incident.

The Saudi opponent, who was not named for security reasons, affirmed that he was placed under tight protection for all the day hour after UK police realized last week a danger threatening his life.

The Saudi opponent, who has been an asylum seeker in London for several years, was subjected to numerous threats and physical assaults.

He told BBC-Arabic that the security threats were monitored by the British counterterrorism unit via the communications intercept programs.

Several Saudi opponents have left Saudi Arabia towards Western countries, flying from the Kingdom’s restrictions. However, Saudi authorities denied the claims, affirming Riyadh's commitment to human rights values.

British authorities didn’t comment on the story till Friday.

The police warning came more than a month after the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was critical of the Saudi crown prince, was strangled and dismembered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 by a 15-member assassination squad.

Many observers, including some prominent US lawmakers, suspect Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had some role in ordering the murder. Turkish officials have also suggested that the orders came from the highest levels of the Saudi royal family, but Ankara has repeatedly said it does not believe the crown prince's father, King Salman, was behind the killing.

ME