Saudi dissident to come off UN al Qaeda blacklist

A UN Security Council committee will soon remove Saudi dissident Saad al-Faqih from the United Nations' al Qaeda sanctions list, despite strong objections from Saudi Arabia, a UN diplomat said on Sunday.

A UN Security Council committee will soon remove Saudi dissident Saad al-Faqih from the United Nations' al Qaeda sanctions list, despite strong objections from Saudi Arabia, a UN diplomat said on Sunday.

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The London-based Faqih was added to the UN al Qaeda sanctions list in December 2004, days after the US Treasury Department hit him with sanctions for suspected links to the late Osama bin Laden's militant network, which was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.

The decision to delist Faqih came after the 15-nation council failed to reach a consensus on whether to override the position of the UN al Qaeda sanctions list ombudsman, who had recommended removing Faqih from the UN blacklist, the diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.