Saudi Arabia has dismissed as "baseless" claims it was involved in an assault on a Saudi dissident in London, state media said today.
Mr Saad al-Fagih said two men came to his apartment on Sunday and tried to kidnap him.
He fought with them as a neighbour called the police. Before fleeing, one of the assailant said: "This is a message from the Saudi government," Mr al-Fagih told the pan-Arab satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera.
British police say they are investigating an assault on Mr al-Fagih at his north London home, after which he was treated in hospital for a leg injury.
The Saudi Embassy in London condemned the attack on Mr al-Fagih, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
"We completely reject any allegation that the government of the [Saudi] kingdom is involved in the assault," the Saudi statement said. "These accusations are exaggerated and totally baseless".
The Saudi Press Agency reported the Saudi government had expressed its concern about the assault to Britain and that it held the British government responsible for the safety of Saudi citizens in Britain.
Mr Al-Fagih is the director of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, which says it seeks freedom of expression and assembly in Saudi Arabia and the abolition of the Saudi secret police. The movement says it pursues its goals through peaceful means.
AP