Saudi regime offered $10 billion to secure Mubarak’s release: WikiLeaks

Saudi Arabia allegedly offered $10 billion to secure the release of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, according to documents released last week by WikiLeaks. Some of the several documents leaked by WikiLeaks quoted a Brotherhood leader as saying that the group could ensure Mr. Mubarak would not go to prison in exchange for $10 billion, reported The Express Tribune. ‘Not a good idea’ However, a handwritten note said that paying ransom for Mr. Mubarak was ‘not a good idea’ because the Brotherhood could not prevent his incarceration. Mr. Mubarak, who has been Saudi’s ally for a long time, is currently serving his jail term in Egypt and facing legal trials. WikiLeaks released the first part of over a half-a-million cables and other documents from the Saudi Foreign Ministry, termed ‘The Saudi Cables,’ on Friday. Source unknown While it did not say where it obtained the documents from, it referred to a statement released by Riyadh in May that said its computer networks had suffered a security breach. The cyber attack was later claimed by a group that called itself the ‘Yemeni Cyber Army.’ Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has asked its citizens to ignore the diplomatic documents leaked by WikiLeaks, saying they were forged. -The Hindu