Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah said terrorism would soon spread to Europe and the US unless it is quickly dealt with in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The King made the statement during a reception for foreign Ambassadors held in Jeddah last week.

“I ask you to convey this message to your leaders... Terrorism at this time is an evil force that must be fought with wisdom and speed. And if neglected I'm sure after a month it will arrive in Europe and a month after that in America,” said King Abdullah

The world’s top oil exporter shares an 800-km border with Iraq, where Islamic State militants and other Sunni Islamist groups have seized towns and cities.

Riyadh has long expressed fears of being targeted by jihadists, including some of its own citizens, who have taken part in conflicts in Iraq and Syria. Earlier this year, it decreed long jail terms for those who travel abroad to fight.

Britain raised its terrorism alert on Friday and Prime Minister David Cameron said Islamic State posed the greatest ever security risk to the country.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday it had arrested 88 individuals, mostly Saudis, with suspected foreign terror links.

“Security agencies, over a period of several months, monitored all the suspects, particularly those with extremist ideologies,” a Ministry statement carried by the SPA said.

The Ministry’s spokesperson Major General Mansour al-Turkey, speaking at a news conference following the announcement, said the suspects were detained “for having links with terror groups outside the Kingdom,” adding that a number had sent their children to fight alongside groups abroad.

“The suspects were on the verge of committing acts of terrorism both in Saudi Arabia and abroad,” al-Turki said.

An Interior Ministry statement said the arrests came following months of surveillance. Among those arrested 84 were Saudis while three were Yemeni nationals. The nationality of one of the suspects remains unknown.

The Ministry spokesman said the detained had formed six different cells located in four different parts of the country, including Makkah and Ha’il. All the cells had plotted to carry out assassination of figures, he said, adding that the largest was composed of 51 members.

Source: Reuters; SPA