Trials for 90 suspected al-Qa'ida members

Saudi authorities have referred 90 people to trial for suspected links to al-Qaida while more than 250 suspects are still under questioning.

Prince Nayef, the Interior Minister, saidmore than 150 other Saudis were released after investigations proved they had no ties with the terrorist organisation. A 21-year-old Riyadh shop owner who had been linked by US officials to the 11 September hijackers was among those released, according to his father, who said he came home yesterday.

Prince Nayef was quoted as saying: "We have established that those 90 were al-Qaida members and they were referred to trial. We still need to determine the level of involvement for each one of them."

Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, but the original home of Osama bin Laden, has defended itself against accusations in the US media and policy circles that it is not doing enough to crack down on suspected militants within its borders.