Saudi Arabia Says Ready for Anything at Haj

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"We are ready for anything that could happen," Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz said after a tour of the holy city of Mecca to check facilities for the pilgrims.

This year's haj is the first since suicide bombings in the Saudi capital Riyadh killed more than 50 people last year and also follows the U.S. invasion of Iraq which has drawn Muslim militants toward Saudi Arabia's northern neighbor.

Diplomats say the Saudi government is deeply worried the haj, which in past years has been plagued by stampedes and accidents, could become a target for attack or be used as a cover for militants to infiltrate the kingdom. The main rites of the five-day pilgrimage begin on Friday.



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