Security Council Press Statement on Terrorist Attack in Saudi Arabia

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President U. Joy Ogwu (Nigeria):

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) at a mosque at the headquarters of the Special Emergency Security Forces in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia on 6 August 2015, resulting in the death of at least 15 people.

The members of the Security Council expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of this heinous act and to the Government of Saudi Arabia.

The members of the Security Council stressed again that ISIL must be defeated and that the intolerance, violence and hatred it espouses must be stamped out.  The members of the Council further emphasized that such continued acts of barbarism perpetrated by ISIL do not intimidate them, but rather stiffen their resolve that there has to be a common effort amongst Governments and institutions, including those in the region most affected, to counter ISIL, groups that have pledged allegiance to ISIL, Ansar Al Shari’a entities and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida, as the Council resolved in United Nations Security Council resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2199 (2015).

The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Saudi authorities in this regard.

The members of the Security Council reaffirmed the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.  The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.