ABSTRACT
In 2003, Al-Qaeda conducted a sustained campaign of violent terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabian citizens and society, resulting in the deaths and injury of hundreds of Saudi and foreign ex-pats throughout the Kingdom. This chapter discusses the history of Saudi Arabian efforts and policy towards terrorism financing, emphasising policy construction and legal developments and frameworks. It also discusses the 2003 passing of the Anti-Money Laundering Law with an emphasis on the impact that the legal and political reforms have had on terrorism financing. The passing and enforcement of the 2003 Anti-Money Laundering law has become the starting point to understanding Saudi Arabian efforts in tackling terrorism financing internally and in the international system. This law declared a unified Saudi front in dealing with the existential threat that Al-Qaeda posed on its control of Saudi society, politics, and economics. The future challenges in Saudi Arabian efforts to combat terrorism financing will necessitate a three-pronged approach.
