Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has sought to retrieve a number of citizens who have been involved in terrorism and fighting in war zones. In the Kingdom, they are rehabilitated for reintegration back into the society.
Two children were returned to Saudi Arabia after five years of living in Syria when their father kidnapped them before joining the ISIS terrorist organization.
The father claimed they were going on holiday to Turkey. From there he escaped to Syria, and only a month later, he left them in ISIS custody and proceeded to carry out a suicide bomb attack.
The mother of the kidnapped boys warned other parents to pay attention to their children’s behavior and take note of any strange incidents that may come up.
“My problem is that I was not around my children nor their father. We got divorced way before they traveled,” she said.
Al-Arabiya television captured the moment the boys were reunited with their family at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. It described the reunion as “mixed with joy and pain.”
Such cases prove the success of the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Counseling and Care Center in dealing with returnees from conflict areas and those influenced by extremist ideology.
The Center is a comprehensive rehabilitation facility for the natural reintegration of extremists back into society. Established in 2004, it has become popular among many countries and receives requests in handling similar cases.
Spokesman of the Presidency of State Security Bassam al-Attiya had previously said that returning citizens are subject to the regulations of Saudi Arabia, which include benefiting from the programs of the counseling and care center.
Over the past few years, a large number of Guantanamo detainees, who took part in the fighting in Afghanistan, have also been transferred to the Center.
Its program includes handling extremist ideology, followed by the rehabilitation stage which means meeting with psychologists and undergoing psychotherapy. Activities include art therapy, sports and job training.
The rehabilitated individual then receives assistance to apply for a job, buy a car and even get married, which will allow him to enjoy a normal life in society.
A total of 3,002 extremists benefited from the program in Saudi Arabia, 2,597 of whom were completely rehabilitated and about 14.2 percent went back to extremism.
