US fears further Saudi terror attacks
The United States fears further terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia and has announced that it is closing its embassy and consulates in the Arabic kingdom from Wednesday until Sunday at the earliest.
The US government warned that attacks could be ‘imminent’.
The latest warning follows a series of suicide bomb attacks in the Saudi capital Riyadh last week, which killed more than 30 people.
Earlier today the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington revealed that he fears an ‘imminent’ attack in either the US or Saudi Arabia, after American and Saudi intelligence picked up ‘electronic chatter’ indicating something was being planned.
He added that a raid earlier in the month by Saudi authorities had uncovered vast stores of explosives, which could have caused far greater devastation than the Riyadh explosions.
Speaking to journalists Prince Bandar bin Sultan stated: ‘I think they were looking to do something more major than this.’
‘That would have taken out two blocks in the city if it had gone off accidentally. We’re all wondering if it’s the last [of the explosives] or is it the tip of the iceberg?’
The Ambassador also told reporters that some Saudi officials believed the attacks had caused a split in al-Qaeda between those who wanted to go ahead and those who believed that bombing Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of leader Osama Bin Laden, would lose the movement its intellectual base.
The US warned of a possible attack on the Saudi port of Jeddah over the weekend and a US consulate in eastern Saudi Arabia was closed to the public yesterday after a gunman was arrested outside.
Saudi police are working with British and American intelligence on evidence from the blasts, after America criticised Saudi Arabian security.
Four suspected members of the al-Qaeda network were detained following the bombings.
