The Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal expressed his opinion on Friday that the increasingly unstable nation of Yemen is posing a security threat to Saudi Arabia and not just along the border but also internally.

The former chief of Saudi Arabia's intelligence service spoke at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, saying that Yemen was experiencing an insurgency in its north and a secessionist movement in its south, thereby making it easier for al Qaeda to operate strongly all over the country.

He added that terrorism has been spreading from Yemen and crossing into their country. The refugees are fleeing from the disturbances in Yemen and flooding into the Saudi border.

Al-Faisal, also an ex-ambassador to the United States, added that the extremists in Yemen have reportedly struck deals with the local tribal leaders for supplies and protection, acting similarly to the group in Pakistan's tribal areas. This, he fears, will pose great security threat.

The Saudi Arabian authorities recently tipped off U. S. and European officials about several parcel bombs that were going to the United States from Yemen. The Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the attack.