A suicide bomb vest allegedly made by the Filipino sewer is shown in this picture taken from an apartment in Riyadh that a Syrian terror suspect had turned into a bomb factory. (SPA)

Alarm bells are ringing among Saudis following the news that a woman Filipino worker, who had allegedly run away from her sponsor, had apparently supported a Syrian man suspected of making bombs in his apartment.

Joy Aban Bali Nang has been accused of helping Syrian terror suspect Yasser Al-Barazi in his apartment to make explosives including suicide belts. They were arrested last week at an apartment in Riyadh.

Many Saudi sponsors are now trying to track down absent workers before reporting to the government that they have absconded, according to a report in a local publication recently.

However, several sponsors said that they do not want to make generalizations now that one expatriate worker has been caught up in terror-related activities. This was likely an isolated incident, they said.

Yahya Jaber, an investor in the construction sector, said there were many companies missing workers but this was unlikely because of security related reasons. He said some people were taking advantage of runaway workers by employing them as domestic workers, in shops and on construction sites across the country.

However, he said some workers are being recruited for criminal enterprises such as manufacturing and distributing alcohol and other drugs, and terror-related activities. These workers are likely doing so just for the money, like Nang, unaware of the legal implications of their activities, he said. He said that women workers topped the list of those who run away from their sponsors, followed by those in the construction sector. Sponsors must immediately report the absence of a worker to avoid “adverse legal implications,” he said.

Shuaa’a Al-Dhailan, chairwoman of the workshops committee at the Asharqia Chamber, said some Saudi businesswomen get visas for workers but then let them work illegally for other people.

The Ministry of Interior has repeatedly warned sponsors that there would be heavy penalties for allowing their employees to work for other people, including fines and imprisonment.

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