A leader of al-Qaeda ordered the group’s “soldiers” to abduct Saudi princes, ministers and Christian residents of Saudi Arabia, according to a recording posted on an Islamist website.

Al-Qaeda has previously targeted Western nationals in the U.S.-allied kingdom in a campaign to destabilize the ruling al- Saud family in the world’s largest oil exporter.

“Form cells to abduct Christians, al-Saud princes, senior officials including ministers and officers,” the speaker identified as Saeed al-Shehri said in the Arabic-language recording on a website that often carries al-Qaeda statements. The abductions are meant to force the release of Islamists held in the kingdom, said al-Shehri, a leader of al-Qaeda’s wing in the Arabian Peninsula.

Saudi Arabia stepped up its anti-terrorism fight against al-Qaeda in 2004 after militants struck an oil installation and stormed a housing complex in the Persian Gulf city of al-Khobar, killing 22 foreign workers.

Saudi Arabia, holder of one-fifth of global oil reserves, now faces a renewed threat from al-Qaeda militants based across the border in Yemen. In August last year, the group attempted to assassinate a top Saudi internal security official, Prince Muhammad bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz.

‘Dangerous Woman’

Al-Qaeda is pressing for the release of a woman, Haila al- Qusair, who helped recruit for the group, and is known as al- Qaeda’s “most dangerous woman,” Saudi-owned channel Al-Arabiya said. Of the 29 million-strong population in Saudi Arabia, about five million are foreigners, including a Christian minority.

Bloomberg