A Saudi youth organization, ‘Infographic KSA’, recently, tweeted an infographic that appeared to threaten Canada with a 9/11 style terrorist attack. The tweet, which has now been deleted, read, “He who interferes with what doesn’t concern him finds what doesn’t please him.”
This is the threatening tweet posyed by a Saudi agency threatening Canada with a 9/11 type attack on the CN Tower in Toronto. The tweet was later deleted. pic.twitter.com/EuBH67hMhZ
— Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) August 7, 2018
The controversial tweet was in response to another tweet by Global Affairs Canada which expressed concern about the surge in arrests of women’s rights activists and other civil rights groups.
Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women’s rights activists in #SaudiArabia, including Samar Badawi. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful #humanrights activists.
— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) August 3, 2018
Tensions have been simmering between the two countries after Canada voiced its support for the persecuted human rights activists in the Islamic country. In response, Saudi Arabia has ordered the Canadian ambassador to leave within 24 hours and have announced the freezing of all new trade and investment transactions between the two countries. The official twitter handle of Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has stated that the KSA considers it an overt and blatant instance of interference in its internal affairs and considered it by Global Affairs Canada as an attack on its sovereignty.
The Saudi Youth Organization, however, has issued an apology over its highly insensitive and inappropriate tweet. “The aircraft was intended to symbolize the return of the ambassador,” read their apology. “We realize this was not clear and any other meaning was unintentional.” Matters were not helped by the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers who flew the plane into the Twin Towers were citizens of Saudi Arabia.
