[Stratos]

Suicide bomb attack rocks Saudis Rescuers and investigators are searching through the rubble of a housing complex in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, hit by a suicide bombing. At least five people are known to have died but diplomats believe many more were killed in the attack. Up to 100 people, many of them children, were injured at the compound, mainly home to foreign Arab workers. Saudi officials suspect the attack was the work of al-Qaeda but it is not clear why the compound was hit. "This is a crime against innocents which is in the style of al-Qaeda, it is an al-Qaeda operation," said a Saudi security source quoted by Reuters news agency. I heard screams of the children and women Compound resident The explosion came a day after the United States shut its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia after "credible evidence" of a threat and the UK embassy in Bahrain issued a similar warning. The US warned its embassy staff in the Saudi capital to stay at home on Sunday pending "further assessment of the security situation". The BBC's Middle East correspondent Paul Wood says if the attack was carried out by al-Qaeda the question is whether it was a failed effort to kill Westerners or simply an attempt to cause instability in the kingdom. Foreign workers The blasts hit the compound shortly after midnight (2100 GMT on Saturday), setting off fires that burned until morning. Immediately after the explosions, there were widely conflicting reports about casualties. Speaking later, Saudi officials said at least five people had died, among them three people from Lebanon and two security guards from India and Sudan. VIOLENT WEEK IN THE KINGDOM 3 Nov: Police kill two 'militants' in Mecca, capture six 6 Nov: Two al-Qaeda suspects blow themselves up in Mecca in shoot-out with police 6 Nov: Riyadh police shoot dead third suspect from Mecca 8 Nov: US diplomatic missions closed amid "terrorist threat" 9 Nov: Compound attacked The Lebanese foreign ministry said they had information that four of their nationals, including a woman and two young children, were killed and 26 injured. Most of the residents of the compound, which contains about 200 houses, are Lebanese, the Associated Press news agency reports. Some Saudis also live there, as well as a few European families. There are no confirmed foreign fatalities but one American is wounded and another missing, according to a US official. Some reports say the bombers used vehicles very similar to police cars, allowing them to breach the guard posts, open fire and detonate what are believed to have been three car bombs very quickly. Other reports say the bombers shot their way in, exchanging fire with security guards. Screams Footage on Arabic television showed piles of twisted debris from collapsed buildings, and a large crater left by the explosion. By morning, more of the devastation could be seen, with furniture and belongings strewn out of wrecked homes. "We heard a very strong explosion and we saw the fire," Bassem al-Hourani, a compound resident, told Arabic television al-Arabiya. "I heard screams of the children and women...I saw a lot of people injured and I believe there are a lot of people dead," he said. Many of the injured are children who were at home while their parents were out, following the breaking of the Ramadan fast for the day. 'Cowardly act' International condemnation of the attack was swift. The Arab League denounced "in the strongest terms the terrorist campaign targeting Saudi Arabia" while the Gulf Co-operation Council said it was a "cowardly act". UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the attack was an act of "hideous barbarity" which showed contempt for the teachings of Islam as well as disregard for the lives of the victims. The identity and motives of the attackers are still unclear. The Muhaya compound is near several private residences belonging to the Saudi royal family, according to a Western diplomat quoted by Reuters news agency. It is also believed to have previously housed Western employees of the Boeing aircraft corporation. 'Al-Qaeda cells' Thirty-five people were killed in a string of suicide attacks in May on western compounds in Riyadh. US officials point out that the May bombings were preceded by the arrests of suspected terrorist cells in Saudi Arabia. Saudi police in Mecca recently uncovered a suspected al-Qaeda cell believed to be planning attacks. BBC Washington correspondent Michael Buchanan says this raises the question of whether the police success actually led to the latest attack being brought forward before it was compromised. The US embassy in Riyadh said on Friday it had "credible information that terrorists in Saudi Arabia have moved from the planning to operation phase of planned attacks in the kingdom". The embassy urged all Americans in Saudi Arabia "to be especially vigilant in when in any area that is perceived to be American or Western". Britain, Canada and Australia last month issued similar alerts, which angered Saudi officials who say they have made important strides in fighting terror inside the country.

From BBC Online.

[ 11-09-2003, 08:29 AM: Message edited by: Stratos ]