In a statement on July 11, Interpol said Saudi authorities did not relay an alert to the world police organization on the escape of seven insurgents from a Saudi prison.

Interpol Chief Ronald Noble. Interpol said it was the second such incident in which an Arab League state withheld information on Al Qaida. "Most people might only be concerned that there have been two prison escapes in two different countries by a large number of suspected Al Qaida terrorists," Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble said in a statement.

"However, Interpol is also concerned that there apparently is no established protocol at the national level to alert the international police community that a prison break of suspected Al Qaida terrorists has occurred," he added.

The Interpol alert differed from a Saudi statement last week on the escape. Unlike Riyad, Interpol said the fugitives were "suspected Al Qaida-linked terrorists." Interpol's command and coordination center learned of the Al Qaida escape through routine open-source monitoring, officials said. The center immediately contacted the Interpol National Central Bureau in Riyad to verify the escape and obtain information to alert member states.

"Mr. Noble praised the proactive work and quick response of the Command and Coordination Center, which was created following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but he expressed concern about the apparently slow communication between prison and police authorities," Interpol said.

The statement added Yemen also failed to report the escape of 23 Islamic detainees, most of them Al Qaida operatives, in February 2006. Noble said many states have not instituted regulations to ensure that the international community is informed of Al Qaida fugitives.

"These two cases have exposed a serious weak link in the chain of global security and one which must be addressed immediately," Noble said. Interpol has distributed photographs and fingerprints of the six Saudi and one Yemeni escapees. The organization urged member countries to provide information on their whereabouts.

Saudi authorities have rejected claims that the prison break stemmed from infiltrators in the prison system. Many of the Saudi guards were said to be Al Qaida sympathizers.