One of the inmates at the Hayer Correction Facility near Riyadh claimed that he is a ‘caliph’ of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, leader of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) outfit.

“In the event of getting released from prison, I will take over command of ISIS in Saudi Arabia and will engage in recruiting cadets to the outfit. ISIS will be expanded,” he said.

The prison authorities have classified the inmate as one of the most dangerous.



There are a total of 50 inmates at Hayer who have been classified by the authorities as highly dangerous, according to officials of the General Intelligence Agency that runs the facility.

The officials told this while speaking to a media delegation during a visit to Hayer on Saturday.

The inmate admitted to the media that he sustained bruises on his hand when he had attempted to commit suicide by using electronic monitoring bracelet, supplied by the authorities.

Another inmate, who was also listed among the 50, unveiled his plans to blow himself up in the midst of a crowd of people once he got out of the facility.



He was one of the inmates who took part in a rioting at Hayer two years ago. About 70 prison guards were injured in the incident.



The delegation saw the map of IS for Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq and Yemen drawn by an inmate at his isolated cell. He declined to speak to the delegation.

The prison authorities told the delegation that another inmate refused to meet his parents and brothers, labeling them what he called as unbelievers.



When they came to meet him near his cell, he shouted at them cursing and asked to get out of the cell premises.

The Hayer facility has 964 inmates, of whom nine are women while the other four facilities in different regions have 2,005 inmates.



The inmates have been placed in special cells away from other inmates convicted or suspected of lesser offenses such as drugs and money laundering.



Some of the inmates are involved in extremism cases while others have been booked for security-related issues.



This article was first published in Saudi Gazette on Monday, Sept. 08, 2014.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:42 - GMT 06:42