Saudi Arabia to close contentious school in Germany

BERLIN (AP) - Saudi Arabia is closing a government-sponsored school in Germany that has been the subject of tension in the past.

The kingdom's embassy says the King Fahd Academy in Bonn, Germany's former capital, will be closed in early 2017.

It said in a statement Monday that the decision was taken as part of Saudi Arabia's effort to provide the best education for its citizens.

The embassy says "Germany is known to have one of the best educational systems in the world ... therefore our country sees no need to have its academy in Germany."

German authorities expressed concern in 2003 that the school might be used to spread Islamist ideology.

It currently has about 150 students and 30 teachers who follow the Saudi curriculum but also offers an International Baccalaureate program.