Saudi embassy staffer expelled in Belgium over Takfiri project: Cable
A WikiLeaks cable says a staff member of the Saudi embassy in Belgium was expelled years ago over his active role in spreading Takfiri ideology in the European country.
The cable cites a letter dated April 21, 2012, in which the then Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, who recently died, urged the Saudi Interior Ministry to replace Khalid al-Ebri, who was the head of a center active in spreading Takfiri ideology in the country.
The government in Belgium had expressed concern over such activities and apparently designated Ebri as persona non grata.
The Saudi ambassador to Belgium had warned Faisal that Brussels is "deeply concerned" about Ebri’s efforts in spreading Takfiri dogma, the cable says.
According to the document, Belgian officials had ensured Riyadh that they would not officially announce the expulsion of Ebri if Saudi Arabia gains the approval of Brussels before appointing his replacement.
Last month, the whistle-blower website, WikiLeaks, released hundreds of thousands of Saudi diplomatic documents, dubbed the Saudi Cables, with most of them dating back to between 2010 and 2015. The cables have exposed bitter realities about Riyadh’s promotion of extremist ideologies through its huge wealth of petro dollars.
Reporters Without Borders published a report last week saying Saudi Arabian missions across the world have been paying media outlets to portray a positive image of the kingdom in the international arena.
"The embassies play a dynamic role in organizing and maintaining active pro-Saudi propaganda abroad. As they are familiar with the local media, they are best placed to monitor what the media are saying and to make suggestions to the Saudi government," the report said.
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