0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08This is a family like no other.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11The House of Saud has untold wealth and power.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Thousands of royal princes live lavish lifestyles
0:00:16 > 0:00:20and they have unique access to the world's rulers...
0:00:22 > 0:00:24..but their kingdom was born out of conflict.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Saudi Arabia, when it was created, it was a jihadi project.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33For decades, there have been allegations
0:00:33 > 0:00:35of financial support for terror.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39We started the investigation and all roads led to Saudi Arabia
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and now it's time that they pay for what they did.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Now, evidence is emerging
0:00:45 > 0:00:48of Saudi money reaching the most brutal extremists.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50The fighters,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54they like the fact that they are being supported by the Saudis.
0:00:54 > 0:01:00The House of Saud has often promised change, but have they done enough?
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars
0:01:03 > 0:01:07supporting what it calls and regards as freedom fighters.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Now, a new Crown Prince is promising a return
0:01:12 > 0:01:14to a so-called moderate Islam.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Having the Crown Prince come up and say it in Arabic boldly in public
0:01:21 > 0:01:23sent a very, very strong message.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27But in the face of brutal regional conflict,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30what is the future for Saudi Arabia and the world?
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Osve, a tiny hamlet in the mountains of Eastern Europe -
0:02:03 > 0:02:08an unlikely place to find the black flag of jihad.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12But men from this Bosnian village have travelled
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and fought for the so-called Islamic State in Syria.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21It's the latest chapter in the history of radicalisation
0:02:21 > 0:02:22in the heart of Europe.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31CALL TO PRAYER
0:02:32 > 0:02:3650 miles away in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo
0:02:36 > 0:02:39stands the 450-year-old al-Pasha Mosque.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44We are one of the oldest mosques in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49We teach and preach here Islam that is open,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52that Islam is human, that Islam is altruistic
0:02:52 > 0:02:56and this Islam we have preserved here for five centuries.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Just across the city is a very different mosque.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Paid for by Saudi Arabia,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16the King Fahd Mosque is the largest in Bosnia.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22They built this very large mosque.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26The Saudis' view is they were supporting the spread of Islam.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33Since the 1990s, Saudi charities have poured money into Bosnia.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38It's claimed they helped build 120 new mosques.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42I mean, it was complete change in the way
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Islam was being followed in the country.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51A leaked intelligence briefing from the US Embassy in Sarajevo
0:03:51 > 0:03:54warned that there were radical extremists
0:03:54 > 0:03:57focused on the new mosques and schools.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01They are employers of ideology,
0:04:01 > 0:04:06they try to harm people, which are poor...
0:04:07 > 0:04:15..which are socially vulnerable, which are unemployed, who are, er...
0:04:15 > 0:04:19..who are illiterate, uneducated.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22They didn't have any chance to educate.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29The arrival of this violent sectarian ideology
0:04:29 > 0:04:34dates from the 1990s and the bitter war that raged for four years
0:04:34 > 0:04:39between Bosnian Muslims and the largely orthodox Christian Serbs
0:04:39 > 0:04:40and Catholic Croats.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia backed the Muslim cause.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Saudi charities supplied humanitarian aid.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Foreign jihadists also answered the call.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05The Kingdom has always denied arming them, but what is the truth?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14This was the mujaheddin's headquarters in the city
0:05:14 > 0:05:16of Zenica during the war.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21On the wall, an Arabic slogan reads,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24"Whenever it is, death is a blessing."
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The secret Nato report from the time claims the Saudi government
0:05:29 > 0:05:33and some Saudi charities funded foreign fighters
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and even bought weapons for them.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Saudi Arabia knew exactly what the various charities were up to.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46Money was sent to a charity for good purposes
0:05:46 > 0:05:48and then some of it was creamed off
0:05:48 > 0:05:51for supporting mujaheddin or whoever.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58The report named one charity, Al Waqf Al Islami,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01that was supposedly providing Islamic education.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06In fact, it was also funding and recruiting foreign fighters.
0:06:07 > 0:06:13Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars supporting what it calls
0:06:13 > 0:06:17and regards as freedom fighters - first in Afghanistan,
0:06:17 > 0:06:18then in Bosnia,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20and of course in Palestine and elsewhere.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Bruce Riedel worked at the CIA for 30 years
0:06:25 > 0:06:29and advised four American presidents on the Middle East.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36And if you look at the funding of Saudi support for groups like
0:06:36 > 0:06:40the Afghan mujaheddin or the Bosnians,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43one figure turns up over and over again...
0:06:45 > 0:06:47..His Royal Highness King Salman.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52He's the one who had the responsibility to pass the hat,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55if you like, among the royals
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and collect the money which went to these groups.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04King Salman is at the heart of this whole enterprise of supporting
0:07:04 > 0:07:08what Saudis believe to be holy causes,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11fighting for the defence of Muslim lands.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17For decades, King Salman was the House of Saud's fundraiser-in-chief
0:07:17 > 0:07:21for those holy causes, but now his own son,
0:07:21 > 0:07:26the new power behind the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29has promised to put an end to Saudi extremism.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32It is a bold and remarkable pledge.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Saudi Arabia, when it was created, it was a jihadi project.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54The al-Saud mobilised the tribal groups,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57they armed them and they sent them on a jihadi rampage
0:07:57 > 0:08:01around the Arabian Peninsula at the time and that resulted
0:08:01 > 0:08:03in the creation of Saudi Arabia.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10The modern state of Saudi Arabia owes its existence
0:08:10 > 0:08:13to an ancient alliance between the House of Saud
0:08:13 > 0:08:16and the supporters of an ultraconservative brand of Islam.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22It's often called Wahabism and it preaches a return to the values
0:08:22 > 0:08:26of seventh-century Arabia and the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32The religious establishment pledges its allegiance to the King
0:08:32 > 0:08:34and in return he pledges to defend
0:08:34 > 0:08:38and spread Wahabi radical Islam around the world.
0:08:41 > 0:08:47The peculiar variant of Islam that Saudi Arabia supports -
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Wahabism, as we call it - is kind of the petri dish
0:08:52 > 0:08:56in which much more extreme versions of Islam will flourish.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Al-Qaeda finds its spiritual
0:09:02 > 0:09:06and theocratic routes in Wahabism.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10CHANTING
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Islamic State, the same thing.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17One needs to be careful and not accuse the Kingdom of being
0:09:17 > 0:09:21the patron state sponsor of groups like Al-Qaeda and Islamic State,
0:09:21 > 0:09:22that's not the case...
0:09:23 > 0:09:29..but it is very much a state with an ideology
0:09:29 > 0:09:33that is very intolerant of outsiders
0:09:33 > 0:09:39and very, very, very much inclined towards sectarianism within Islam,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41and a violent form of sectarianism.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50The Crown Prince made his bold commitment
0:09:50 > 0:09:54to destroy extremist ideology last October.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58The Crown Prince says 30 years was wasted
0:09:58 > 0:09:59dealing with extremist ideas.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10You're not going to turn the Saudi religious establishment
0:10:10 > 0:10:11into California liberals,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14but what you want to do is you want to use their prestige
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and their stature to fight terrorism
0:10:17 > 0:10:20and to fight extremist language.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23That is a gradual process, but having the Crown Prince come up
0:10:23 > 0:10:27and say it in Arabic boldly in public
0:10:27 > 0:10:31sent a very, very strong message that the leadership
0:10:31 > 0:10:35is determined to not allow this language
0:10:35 > 0:10:40and this thinking to spread or to be nurtured by anybody in the country.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43It's certainly an acknowledgement
0:10:43 > 0:10:49that the ultraconservative form of religion that's practised there
0:10:49 > 0:10:53has indeed been a bit more accommodating - shall we say? -
0:10:53 > 0:10:55to extremism than the more moderate form
0:10:55 > 0:10:58that he would like to have Saudi return to,
0:10:58 > 0:10:59in his words.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I think the real issue is, will this be a transition or really begin
0:11:03 > 0:11:08a revolution that results in a more moderate form of Islam
0:11:08 > 0:11:10that is practised in the Kingdom
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and then also, frankly, that is promoted elsewhere?
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- NEWS REPORT:- The World Trade Center, Tower Number One, is on fire.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21The whole outside of the building...
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Oh, my God!
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Almost 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30EMERGENCY SERVICES MESSAGE
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Stay back!
0:11:35 > 0:11:3915 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis...
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Stay clear. Await the collapse of one of the towers.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48..and the trail led straight back to Bosnia
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and the allegations of Saudi funding of extremism.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Sean Carter is a lead lawyer in an historic legal case
0:12:27 > 0:12:30against the government of Saudi Arabia.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32He's spent more than a decade weighing the evidence.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37The 9/11 families bringing the case believe Saudi involvement
0:12:37 > 0:12:40goes much further than radicalisation.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44They allege the Al-Qaeda hijackers were helped by agents
0:12:44 > 0:12:48of the Saudi state and funded by some of the same Saudi charities
0:12:48 > 0:12:51that King Salman had harnessed in Bosnia.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54One thing is immediately apparent -
0:12:54 > 0:12:58and there's virtually no disagreement about this point -
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Al-Qaeda was uniquely reliant on funding
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and support from within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the years
0:13:03 > 0:13:08leading up to 9/11, and the US government has said that repeatedly.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12The US government has also said that charities based in Saudi Arabia
0:13:12 > 0:13:16were primary conduits for providing that funding
0:13:16 > 0:13:17into Al-Qaeda's hands.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21We believe that these charities are components of the government
0:13:21 > 0:13:24and to the extent that components of a government are involved
0:13:24 > 0:13:26in providing financing to a terrorist organisation,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29the government is accountable for that activity.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37The 9/11 families have collected a million pages of evidence.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39They met fierce resistance from the Saudi government
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and also President Obama's administration.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48I think that it is generally regarded at the highest levels
0:13:48 > 0:13:51that a full transparency and complete disclosure
0:13:51 > 0:13:54of all that evidence would be inconvenient to the US government
0:13:54 > 0:13:57because it would make it much harder to do business as usual
0:13:57 > 0:13:58with the Saudis.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06The government of Saudi Arabia denies supporting the attacks.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09The 9/11 Commission found no evidence
0:14:09 > 0:14:11they had directly funded Al-Qaeda.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18But Saudi Arabia says it gave away around 90 billion in two decades
0:14:18 > 0:14:23before 9/11 - a large portion paid for thousands of mosques
0:14:23 > 0:14:25and a network of clerics around the world...
0:14:27 > 0:14:31..and it admits some of the money was probably misused.
0:14:40 > 0:14:429/11 was so painful.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Our families were shattered, our lives were shattered
0:14:46 > 0:14:47and we've had to pick up the pieces.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54Terry Strada lost her husband Tom in the World Trade Center.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00Thanks to a long campaign to change the law, families of 9/11 victims
0:15:00 > 0:15:03are now suing the government of Saudi Arabia.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It was an incredible mountain to climb.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12The Saudis lobbied very heavily against the bill.
0:15:12 > 0:15:18I think that they underestimated that the 9/11 families,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21that the widows, that you could come to this country
0:15:21 > 0:15:24and kill our husbands and take away our children's fathers
0:15:24 > 0:15:25and that we were going to sit around
0:15:25 > 0:15:27and cry about it and not do anything.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31We cried plenty - we cried a flood of tears -
0:15:31 > 0:15:37but then we stood up and we said, "Why, who and how?" and we got mad
0:15:37 > 0:15:40and we said, "We're going to find out all of these answers,"
0:15:40 > 0:15:44and we started the investigation and all roads led to Saudi Arabia
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and now it's time that they pay for what they did.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54After 9/11, the Saudis came under intense pressure
0:15:54 > 0:15:55to clean up their act.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11But it would take Al-Qaeda attacks on Saudi Arabia itself
0:16:11 > 0:16:14to make the House of Saud take action.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19They actually had about three or four
0:16:19 > 0:16:22different sites and wound up at the Oasis Compound -
0:16:22 > 0:16:25that's where most of the victims were -
0:16:25 > 0:16:28probably a few dozen people killed there.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Witnessing the attack was the FBI's man in the country,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Martin Reardon.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44There was a stand-off, I was on site, there were
0:16:44 > 0:16:47several hundred Saudi security forces surrounding that compound.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01They wound up breaking out and got away.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07That's OK. Don't come this way.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10More than 20 people were killed -
0:17:10 > 0:17:13terrorism in the heart of the Saudi kingdom.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18That light finally went on, that it had got out of hand,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and they realised they had to do something about it.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31In the face of a threat so close to home,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34the Saudis embarked on the first of several crackdowns,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38targeting terror groups and their funding
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and sharing intelligence with foreign governments.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50The Saudis pledged to the international community
0:17:50 > 0:17:52that they will change things -
0:17:52 > 0:17:56they will clamp down on challenges, they will change their textbooks -
0:17:56 > 0:18:00but the reforms they did were very, very limited.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06MEN CHANT
0:18:18 > 0:18:22India has the third largest Muslim population in the world.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34For centuries, Sufism has been the traditional face of Islam here.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41True picture of Islam is Sufism, that's why you can see they come,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45whether they are Muslims, whether they are Hindus,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48they're Christians, they're Jews.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52They come to pay tribute to the grave of the Sufis.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58But this tolerant version of Islam is now under attack in India,
0:18:58 > 0:19:03declared unIslamic by a growing number of ultraconservative Muslims,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05backed by Saudi Arabia.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08There are some organisations, there are some people
0:19:08 > 0:19:10who are spreading the terrorism
0:19:10 > 0:19:11in the name of religion.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18- NEWS REPORTS:- Good evening. To our breaking news.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Gunmen have opened fire, killing at least 80 people...
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Good evening. For the last five hours or so,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26the most prosperous city in India has been turmoil...
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Several different locations have been targeted
0:19:29 > 0:19:31including two five-star hotels...
0:19:33 > 0:19:35This is what Indians fear.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Over three days in November 2008,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43more than 160 people were murdered in Mumbai.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49The attackers were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba -
0:19:49 > 0:19:54the Army of the Pure - a Pakistani terror group.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Four years after Saudi Arabia launched their major crackdown
0:19:58 > 0:20:02on extremists, the group had still been able to receive funding
0:20:02 > 0:20:04from inside Saudi Arabia.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14At times, Saudi influence in India
0:20:14 > 0:20:17has come from the very highest level.
0:20:36 > 0:20:42In 2015, King Salman presented Indian preacher Dr Zakir Naik
0:20:42 > 0:20:45one of Saudi Arabia's most prestigious prizes
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and a cheque for 200,000.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05So I am with those people.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10Zakir Naik is the rock star of the Islamic television world.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15He is, without doubt,
0:21:15 > 0:21:20the single best-known religious figure in the country...
0:21:24 > 0:21:27..with a following that at prime time
0:21:27 > 0:21:31runs to tens of millions of people. He's huge.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37discussion, discussion, discussion, debate, debate, debate,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41rebuttal, rebuttal, rebuttal, conclusion, conclusion, conclusion.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45I'll admit a misconception of the word religion. Get enlightened.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Zakir Naik broadcasts around the globe
0:21:48 > 0:21:53on his 24-hour satellite network, Peace TV.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And he also set up schools and a research foundation,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01all to spread his ultraconservative message.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10His singular success has been to displace this hugely rich,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12pluralist Islam,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17replace it essentially with this cardboard-cutout Islam,
0:22:17 > 0:22:22completely devoid of context, completely devoid of culture.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Zakir Naik's hardline message has even reached into this small
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and largely Hindu village in north-western India.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57Ugandevi's only son Sandeep was a model student.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00She was delighted when he left home to find work,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03but when she went to stay with him, she was shocked.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Sandeep's family haven't heard from him for over two years.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35They fear he's gone to join a jihadist group abroad.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03If the person who revolts, who was a Muslim,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06then can worship and become the non-Muslim,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08and propagates the faith
0:24:08 > 0:24:10and speaks against Islam,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and if you say Islamic rule, then the person should be put to death.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Zakir Naik's message has been an inspiration
0:24:20 > 0:24:22to violent jihadis around the world...
0:24:24 > 0:24:29..the attackers who killed 20 hostages in a cafe in Bangladesh,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32a man who attempted to blow up the New York subway,
0:24:32 > 0:24:37and the Indian engineer who planted a car bomb in central London
0:24:37 > 0:24:40before attacking Glasgow airport -
0:24:40 > 0:24:45all of them had eagerly embraced the message of Zakir Niak.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48In case after case after case,
0:24:48 > 0:24:53you will find that attackers obsessively began watching
0:24:53 > 0:24:59Zakir Niak's broadcasts at the beginning of their journeys
0:24:59 > 0:25:00into the jihadist movement.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05Very often watching Zakir Niak was the beginning of a break with
0:25:05 > 0:25:08the traditions of Islam that they grew up with.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13Having said that, there's no case in which he was either directly
0:25:13 > 0:25:16involved as a plotter or even aware of what they're doing,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19but his message opened the door for them.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27The Indian authorities are now investigating Zakir Niak.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Satya Pal Singh, now a government minister,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34was the Police Commissioner in Mumbai,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36and he was one of the first to scrutinise
0:25:36 > 0:25:39the populist preacher.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07Zakir Niak has been banned from entering the UK for fostering hatred
0:26:07 > 0:26:09and attempting to justify terrorism.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15The Indian authorities have shut down his foundation in Mumbai
0:26:15 > 0:26:16under anti-terror law.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Niak has been charged with promoting religious hatred,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24he's suspected of channelling Saudi and other foreign funds
0:26:24 > 0:26:27to Peace TV and his schools.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01But many of India's Muslims believe the allegations
0:27:01 > 0:27:06from India's Hindu nationalist establishment are false.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11They insist that conservative Islam is neither extreme nor violent.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04But he insists they haven't received any Saudi funding for years.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39There's mounting evidence that money from Saudi Arabia continued
0:28:39 > 0:28:42for decades to fund the spread of extremism,
0:28:42 > 0:28:47yet, somehow, the House of Saud maintained its privileged position
0:28:47 > 0:28:49in the global corridors of power.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56The West needs their oil and they are a vital ally
0:28:56 > 0:29:00in a turbulent region, but there's another reason -
0:29:00 > 0:29:04the Saudis are fighting their own bitter war against Al-Qaeda
0:29:04 > 0:29:08and the so-called Islamic State who've sworn to wipe out
0:29:08 > 0:29:09the House of Saud
0:29:09 > 0:29:13and they have more intelligence on the militants than anyone.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17The Saudis are very important partners for the United States
0:29:17 > 0:29:20and the fight against Islamic State.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22They're one of the main members of the coalition,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25just as they've been partners in the fight against Al-Qaeda.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30The last significant attack by Al-Qaeda
0:29:30 > 0:29:32directed against the United States,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35a plot in 2010 to blow up an airliner over Chicago,
0:29:35 > 0:29:39was thwarted by the assistance of Saudi intelligence.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45Prime Minister Theresa May has said that hundreds of British citizens
0:29:45 > 0:29:48are probably alive because of intelligence
0:29:48 > 0:29:50provided by the Saudi government.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55But the House of Saud has bigger priorities
0:29:55 > 0:29:58than helping allies in the West fight terrorism.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05The King of Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holy mosques
0:30:05 > 0:30:07in Mecca and Medina.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13The Kingdom is determined to lead the Muslim world
0:30:13 > 0:30:16and combat the growing influence of Iran
0:30:16 > 0:30:21and what THEY see as its heretical Shia branch of Islam.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24CHEERING
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar!
0:30:28 > 0:30:32SHOUTING
0:30:34 > 0:30:38And there's one conflict that tested the Saudi commitment to
0:30:38 > 0:30:41cut its ties with violent extremism -
0:30:41 > 0:30:43the Syrian uprising.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Saudi Arabia thought it saw an opportunity in 2011 to get
0:30:49 > 0:30:53rid of Iran's number-one proxy,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56number one ally...
0:30:56 > 0:31:00CHANTING
0:31:07 > 0:31:10..the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16The Assads collectively for decades had been the Arab
0:31:16 > 0:31:20state most sympathetic to the Iranians.
0:31:24 > 0:31:282011, the Saudis thought, "We've finally got our chance.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33"Only a little bit of support and the Assads will collapse."
0:31:35 > 0:31:37RAPID GUNFIRE
0:31:37 > 0:31:38Allahu akbar. Allahu akbar.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42What began as an uprising against an undemocratic,
0:31:42 > 0:31:47authoritarian regime soon turned into a brutal regional war.
0:31:51 > 0:31:57Seven years of fighting have left an estimated 400,000 people dead.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00More than 11 million have lost their homes.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10In the West, the focus has often been on the horrific crimes
0:32:10 > 0:32:12carried out by the Assad regime.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20There has been less attention paid to the role of the West's
0:32:20 > 0:32:24ally, Saudi Arabia, in funding and arming Islamist groups.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29- Allahu Akbar! Allahu akbar! - GUNSHOTS
0:32:39 > 0:32:44Conflict Armament Research is a British organisation which
0:32:44 > 0:32:46investigates the international arms trade.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55What we're doing in Iraq and Syria is to document each
0:32:55 > 0:33:00individual weapon, trace it back to its manufacturers, to understand
0:33:00 > 0:33:04in precise detail how that weapon arrived on the field of battle.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10In areas of Iraq and Syria recently controlled by the so-called
0:33:10 > 0:33:15Islamic State, they made a surprising discovery.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18OK, all right.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20This is Eastern European...
0:33:20 > 0:33:24The cache included a number of rocket-propelled grenades
0:33:24 > 0:33:26and anti-tank rockets.
0:33:27 > 0:33:28We will take the weapon apart,
0:33:28 > 0:33:33look at serial numbers which identify weapons uniquely,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35go back to the manufacturer and ask them,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37"To whom did you first sell this weapon?"
0:33:45 > 0:33:49The trail took them 1,000 miles north to Bulgaria
0:33:49 > 0:33:52and the country's largest arms manufacturer,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54a company called Arsenal.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00The authorities confirmed the Soviet-designed anti-tank rockets
0:34:00 > 0:34:01were made here.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Further research revealed who bought them.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11The government of Bulgaria replied to us that this
0:34:11 > 0:34:15was a transfer which was a legal transfer to Saudi Arabia,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18to the government of Saudi Arabia,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21destined for the Armed Forces.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25But the Saudi army uses Western weapons,
0:34:25 > 0:34:28not those from the former Soviet Union.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32The investigators discovered that weapons left the factory
0:34:32 > 0:34:36and were transported 160 miles to Sofia airport.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39The export licence was to Saudi Arabia
0:34:39 > 0:34:42but they may never have arrived there at all.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46What we believe has happened is that the weapons were
0:34:46 > 0:34:48procured by the government of Saudi Arabia
0:34:48 > 0:34:52and then transferred through to a third party.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55The most likely explanation is that they went through to Jordan
0:34:55 > 0:34:59and then parties within Jordan transferred them across the border.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03It's not just one shipment.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07Bulgarian government figures show that official arms sales to
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Saudi Arabia increased massively during the Syrian conflict,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15up from nearly 3,000 euros in 2012
0:35:15 > 0:35:20to more than 100 million euros in 2015.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26Across the Balkans, it is thought the Saudis have spent around
0:35:26 > 0:35:281 billion euros on weapons that
0:35:28 > 0:35:31could not be used by their own Armed Forces.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09There is no evidence the government of Saudi Arabia has
0:36:09 > 0:36:13intentionally armed its sworn enemy, the so-called Islamic State,
0:36:13 > 0:36:18but there is compelling evidence the government of Saudi Arabia,
0:36:18 > 0:36:23its charities and rich Saudis have been secretly funding
0:36:23 > 0:36:26and arming a number of violent jihadist groups in Syria.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34One eyewitness agreed to talk for the first time about
0:36:34 > 0:36:38how Saudi Arabia smuggled huge quantities of cash and weapons.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59RAPID FIRE
0:38:02 > 0:38:05The Saudi government says the Army of Islam are moderate.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09But these pictures show them parading caged woman
0:38:09 > 0:38:13and captured soldiers as human shields against air strikes.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19They want to create an Islamic state in Syria, under sharia law.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27In areas they control, Saudi cash has been accompanied by a new
0:38:27 > 0:38:30and strict Saudi social code.
0:38:52 > 0:38:53By sponsoring these groups,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Saudi Arabia appeases its local constituency because the Wahhabis
0:38:57 > 0:39:01in Saudi Arabia would be very pleased that Saudi Arabia had
0:39:01 > 0:39:05gone out of its way, used a lot of its oil wealth in order to
0:39:05 > 0:39:11promote messages that correspond to those that we hear in Saudi Arabia.
0:39:11 > 0:39:17The Saudi government was, and still is, assisting rebel groups in Syria
0:39:17 > 0:39:20that you could say are extremist.
0:39:20 > 0:39:25The funding was to take the fight to Assad and
0:39:25 > 0:39:30because the Assad government is in line with Iran and that is the...
0:39:30 > 0:39:35For Saudi Arabia, that is the number one security threat for them.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42As the conflict intensified with the arrival of Iranian-backed
0:39:42 > 0:39:47militia, Saudis gambled on yet more hardline groups.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53One witness revealed how he smuggled Saudi money and arms to
0:39:53 > 0:39:57a group who have fought at times alongside an affiliate of Al-Qaeda.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25It was a deliberate policy to fund those radical groups
0:41:25 > 0:41:31so they actually derailed the project for democracy in Syria
0:41:31 > 0:41:34and this is in line with Saudi policy that does not want
0:41:34 > 0:41:39to see any democratic government anywhere in the Arab world.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41EXPLOSIONS
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Allahu Akbar!
0:41:43 > 0:41:47In 2014, the most violent jihadi group of all burst
0:41:47 > 0:41:48onto the world stage -
0:41:48 > 0:41:53the so-called Islamic State group proclaimed a worldwide caliphate.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Now all that Saudi cash and arms
0:41:56 > 0:42:00risked reaching the most extreme jihadists.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06These are videos... They use them for propaganda,
0:42:06 > 0:42:10to receive support, basically saying, we are fighting
0:42:10 > 0:42:12and using a lot of ammunition,
0:42:12 > 0:42:13weapons, so we need support.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20Ahmet Yayla used to be a chief of counterterrorism in southern Turkey.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24He has found evidence that private Saudi cash ended up with
0:42:24 > 0:42:26the so-called Islamic State.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30I spent almost 20 years in the field,
0:42:30 > 0:42:31fighting against terrorism.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34I interviewed and interrogated
0:42:34 > 0:42:37almost over 4,000 terrorists and suspects
0:42:37 > 0:42:38from different ideologies.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46When I speak to ISIS defectors or different terrorist
0:42:46 > 0:42:50organisations fighting in Syria, they clearly indicate that they
0:42:50 > 0:42:55have been receiving support and funds and aid
0:42:55 > 0:42:59from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01It is not only the Islamic State,
0:43:01 > 0:43:06but different radical jihadi groups in Syria and Iraq.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18The fighters, they know that Saudi supports them very openly
0:43:18 > 0:43:22and they like the fact that they are being supported by the Saudis.
0:43:26 > 0:43:31Regular fighters underground would tell me that Isis were purchasing
0:43:31 > 0:43:35brand-new weapons and the money was coming from Saudi Arabia or Qatar.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41The Saudi government has accused the Gulf State of Qatar
0:43:41 > 0:43:45of a policy of supporting terrorism and extremism.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48But while the Saudis have pointed the finger at Qatar,
0:43:48 > 0:43:51they have denied any Saudi state involvement.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56They received absolutely no support from the government
0:43:56 > 0:43:58of Saudi Arabia. If they have been receiving support
0:43:58 > 0:44:02from individuals in Saudi Arabia then this is against the law and any
0:44:02 > 0:44:06such individuals would be subject to the full strength of the law.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09We have always declared that we supported the Syrian people
0:44:09 > 0:44:12and we provide the Syrian people with the means necessary to
0:44:12 > 0:44:14protect themselves.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18But that does not include any of the terrorist organisations that
0:44:18 > 0:44:20have been declared as terrorist by Saudi Arabia
0:44:20 > 0:44:22or by the international community.
0:44:22 > 0:44:27In 2015, Mohammed bin Salman became Defence Minister.
0:44:27 > 0:44:32The Crown Prince has tried to exert tighter control in Syria,
0:44:32 > 0:44:37but that has not stopped Saudi-funded weapons ending up
0:44:37 > 0:44:39in the hands of more extreme jihadists.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48It's important not to underestimate the priority that the Saudis
0:44:48 > 0:44:53attach to fighting Iran in general and Iran's number-one proxy -
0:44:53 > 0:44:56the Assad regime - in particular.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59And they are willing to take risks, they are willing to take
0:44:59 > 0:45:04a risk that money and arms that flow into the groups that are very close
0:45:04 > 0:45:09to Al-Qaeda will somehow backfire against them in the long term.
0:45:14 > 0:45:19There are very few groups operating in Syria which are not highly
0:45:19 > 0:45:21radicalised.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24So if you supply weapons into this mix, you have absolutely no
0:45:24 > 0:45:26control over where they are going.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31In that respect, Saudi Arabia, just like any other provider
0:45:31 > 0:45:35of weapons into that conflict, is really stoking the fire.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44The US government has praised Saudi Arabia for its efforts to
0:45:44 > 0:45:46counter terrorist funding.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53But despite Saudi promises, it appears private Saudi money
0:45:53 > 0:45:57has continued to reach extremists all around the world.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05In Saudi Arabia you do have still a large part of the population
0:46:05 > 0:46:10that does support, to some extent, some of these extremist groups,
0:46:10 > 0:46:11and they are donating money.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15It is against the law, but it's not hard to move cash.
0:46:19 > 0:46:24Ron Sandee worked in Dutch military intelligence for 11 years.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28He has continued to investigate Islamist extremists.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34I think that many of the donations still come from the same people
0:46:34 > 0:46:37who funded the jihadis in the 1980s.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41I think it's the same people who funded the jihadis in Bosnia,
0:46:41 > 0:46:43the same families.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46Rich Saudi private donors are still funding,
0:46:46 > 0:46:50money is still flowing into the pockets of Al-Qaeda.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53We have definitely also that they are funding the Taliban
0:46:53 > 0:46:57and right now we see a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Saudi Arabia has been tackling extremism.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04When I was the Director of the CIA, when I was
0:47:04 > 0:47:07the Commander of Central Command, we had these concerns.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10We had them with a number of different countries in that region.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13When we went to virtually all of them
0:47:13 > 0:47:16and said, "Here is one we can actually identify who has actually
0:47:16 > 0:47:20"moved money," they took action to shut that down.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23I think it's important to remember that we're
0:47:23 > 0:47:27talking about individual private Saudis.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31Like any country, not all Saudis are of one stripe.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34There are significant numbers of Saudis,
0:47:34 > 0:47:37including members of the Royal Family, who do
0:47:37 > 0:47:42believe that the cause is very, very important and who find that fighting
0:47:42 > 0:47:47for the liberation of Kashmir or the liberation of Jerusalem is
0:47:47 > 0:47:51a cause they really believe in and a cause they want to support.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Members of the Royal Family?
0:47:53 > 0:47:55I don't think there's any question that
0:47:55 > 0:47:59if you're looking at where the sources of significant amounts
0:47:59 > 0:48:04of money are in Saudi Arabia, it's members of the royal family.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13In 2017, newly elected President Trump chose to make his first
0:48:13 > 0:48:15foreign trip to Saudi Arabia.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20He toured their new centre to combat extremist ideology.
0:48:21 > 0:48:26I want to express our gratitude to King Salman for his strong
0:48:26 > 0:48:33demonstration and his absolutely incredible and powerful leadership.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39President Trump urged the House of Saud to make a clean break
0:48:39 > 0:48:40with the past.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46A better future is only possible if your nations drive out
0:48:46 > 0:48:53the terrorists and drive out the extremists. Drive them out.
0:48:53 > 0:48:59Drive them out of your Holy Land and drive them out of this Earth.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07Months later, the Crown Prince unveiled Saudi Arabia's latest
0:49:07 > 0:49:10crackdown with sweeping new counterterrorism laws.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15Funding terrorism is now punishable by death.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19Scores of people have been arrested, including some prominent clerics.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25Saudi Arabia is sending the right messages.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27It knows that there was a problem.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31It identified the problem as emerging in the 1980s,
0:49:31 > 0:49:33producing what we knew which was Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden,
0:49:33 > 0:49:37the Afghan mujaheddin, and Prince Salman is trying to say,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40"Hey, I know there's a problem, I'm leaving Saudi Arabia
0:49:40 > 0:49:42"and I'm doing something about it.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44"I'm not just doing counterterrorism work,
0:49:44 > 0:49:48"I'm changing society and I want the West to come with me on this."
0:49:50 > 0:49:53The extremist edges need to be taken off
0:49:53 > 0:49:55and I think in the old days it was ignored.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00This leadership has taken steps that the previous
0:50:00 > 0:50:02leadership for 50 years was afraid of taking.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad have taken dozens
0:50:09 > 0:50:13and dozens of measures to crack down on terrorists or terrorist
0:50:13 > 0:50:15cells or terrorist financing.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18They have dismissed thousands of Imams
0:50:18 > 0:50:21and teachers who espouse extremist views.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23These are very, very important measures.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27But some say the Crown Prince is also using the new
0:50:27 > 0:50:30anti-terror laws to silence his opponents.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37It is not clear how this project of ending extremism is going to work.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40We have seen historically that when governments repressed
0:50:40 > 0:50:44Islamist or Islamic groups, they have gone violent,
0:50:44 > 0:50:48so his repressive measures now may lead to be counter-productive.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51They may actually lead to more extremism.
0:50:52 > 0:50:57A lot of what Saudi officials - particularly the Crown Prince -
0:50:57 > 0:51:01say about "moderate Islam" is intended more for a Western
0:51:01 > 0:51:04audience than it is for an internal audience.
0:51:04 > 0:51:10Saudi Arabia is trying to curb the excesses of extremism within
0:51:10 > 0:51:14the Wahhabist movement but they are not going to divorce
0:51:14 > 0:51:20themselves from the kind of ideology which is at the basis
0:51:20 > 0:51:24of their legitimacy as rulers of the Arabian Peninsula.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29The Crown Prince has raised hopes that he can be a new
0:51:29 > 0:51:32force for moderation and security.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35But much depends on the man himself
0:51:35 > 0:51:40and whether he can rein in growing and destructive sectarian forces.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21The brutal war in Yemen has been
0:52:21 > 0:52:24personally directed by the Crown Prince.
0:52:25 > 0:52:30His aggressive tactics have led to allegations of targeting civilians.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Shira Mohammed and family were holding a funeral for his brother,
0:52:36 > 0:52:38killed in recent fighting.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Seven women and one young girl were killed.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34Ten others were badly injured.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38The missile that killed them is thought to have been
0:53:38 > 0:53:42fired by a fighter jet from the Saudi-led coalition.
0:53:44 > 0:53:49Their military campaign in Yemen is backed by Britain and America.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34ROAR OF JET
0:54:34 > 0:54:35EXPLOSION
0:54:35 > 0:54:39According to the UN, at least 10,000 people have been killed.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44The Saudis say they are supporting the elected government of Yemen,
0:54:44 > 0:54:48and defending themselves against rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52Sunni Saudi Arabia claims the mainly Shia
0:54:52 > 0:54:57rebels in Yemen are backed by an expansionist and aggressive Iran.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03But the Saudi-led blockade has put millions of Yemenis at risk
0:55:03 > 0:55:06of starvation and cholera.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10It was a necessary water to enter into.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14Now, it may have been executed in a flawed way at certain times,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17the messaging about it might not have been good,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20but it is a necessary war to defend the security of Saudi Arabia -
0:55:20 > 0:55:22people don't appreciate that.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Crown Prince Salman's promise to crack down on
0:55:54 > 0:55:57extremism has been welcomed in the West,
0:55:57 > 0:56:00but some fear his aggressive foreign policy has opened
0:56:00 > 0:56:04a new chapter of instability in the Middle East.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11There is no doubt that what we have seen in Saudi Arabia is
0:56:11 > 0:56:12pretty unprecedented.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17It is aggressive, it is assertive
0:56:17 > 0:56:21and it is getting itself stuck into some real conundrums in the region.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26All of a sudden we don't quite know where this goes.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31SHOUTING
0:56:31 > 0:56:33SIRENS
0:56:37 > 0:56:41Saudi Arabia is engaged now in the most intense sectarian
0:56:41 > 0:56:45proxy conflict that we have seen in modern Middle East history.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50Neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran any more is
0:56:50 > 0:56:53able to keep from just stoking, stoking and stoking.
0:56:54 > 0:56:59It is burning from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq, to Yemen
0:56:59 > 0:57:01to inside the Kingdom, to Bahrain
0:57:01 > 0:57:04to Kuwait and places like that.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08Thousands if not tens of thousands of people are at risk
0:57:08 > 0:57:11at a sectarian conflict that has burned out of control.
0:57:14 > 0:57:19I think the danger is that the Arab world in the last five
0:57:19 > 0:57:22years has begun walking into an abyss of hell.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29MONITORS BEEP
0:57:53 > 0:57:59A five-star hotel turned into a prison for princes and billionaires.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03This was dramatic. It was almost like a theatrical performance.
0:58:03 > 0:58:07It opened the door on a secret world of huge kickbacks
0:58:07 > 0:58:09and bribes.
0:58:09 > 0:58:14Saudi Arabia is probably the most corrupt country on the planet
0:58:14 > 0:58:19and that corruption goes to the very top of the Saudi Royal Family.