Ahmad bin Abdullah al-Shayie, a 21-year-old Saudi, nearly blew himself up in Baghdad a year ago, when he drove an oil tanker laden with explosives into a city neighbourhood. He survived, having been ejected out of the vehicle by the force of the blast.

Arrested by Iraqi police, he was handed over to the Saudi government. This week, the young militant’s story appeared in newspaper interviews and on television in Riyadh as part of a government campaign to dissuade other young men from joining the Iraqi insurgency. Mr Shayie claimed he had been hired only as a driver and had no idea he would be used as a suicide bomber. He advised Saudi youth against following his example.