Petra News Agency
Thursday, April 22, 2004
'Jordan condemns terror attack'
AMMAN, April 22 (Petra) - Minister of State and
Government Spokesperson Asma Khader on Wednesday said Jordan fully supports
Saudi Arabia's "fight against terrorism regardless of its form or source."
"Jordan strongly condemns the terrorist attack on the Saudi capital today,"
Khader said in a statement.
She expressed deep sympathy for the families of the victims and wished quick
recovery for the wounded.
10 die in Riyadh blast
RIYADH, April 22 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber destroyed a Saudi security
forces building in the capital on Wednesday, killing a senior officer and at
least nine other people.
Medical and security sources in Riyadh said more than 70 were wounded in what an
official said was the sixth attempt at such a "terrorist attack" in a week. Five
others were foiled.
The bomber tried to crash his vehicle into the compound in downtown Riyadh at
2:00pm (1100 GMT) and set off a huge blast 30 meters from the building when
guards tried to stop him, the Saudi interior ministry said in a statement.
Coinciding with a visit by a top US official to a city where 50 people died last
year in suicide attacks on foreigners, the bomb tore the front off the
six-storey administrative block. There were no reports of foreign deaths in the
latest bombing. The kingdom, a key US ally and the world's largest oil exporter,
is battling a tide of militancy linked to Saudi-born Osama Ben Laden's Al Qaeda
network. Last week, Washington ordered nonessential diplomats out and said other
Americans should leave, citing fresh signals of possible attacks on Western
interests. The US embassy closed early after Wednesday's bombing, a US official
said.
Saudi television said children were among the injured and showed uniformed
security force personnel in hospital.
"I was in the office when the blast happened. Thank God for everything," said
one bloodied and bruised man before breaking down in tears.
Security sources confirmed security personnel were stationed in the building
targeted, although the interior ministry said only that it housed traffic
administrators. Its statement put no figure on casualties but said they included
security forces.
US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage held talks on Wednesday with Saudi
Crown Prince Abdullah. They discussed Iraq and bilateral ties, which were
strained after the September 11, 2001 attacks, blamed on mainly Saudi Al Qaeda
hijackers.
Other attacks foiled
Fires raged long after the blast, which left a deep crater and a street carpeted
in debris from the shattered building. Dozens of blackened and twisted cars
smoldered for hours and glass shards and concrete blocks lay thickly on the
tarmac.
Local people living nearby were shocked: "What can I say? We were sitting
minding our own business in our homes when we felt the force of the explosion.
We don't know what happened. Houses fell on our children and women," one man
said.
"What sin have we committed? These people don't fear God."
Security sources said five vehicles packed with explosives had been found and
defused in recent days. Suspected militants also killed at least five Saudi
policemen last week and a manhunt is under way for gunmen who have fought
police.
"We succeeded in preventing five like this but this one got through," an
interior ministry source said.
Ben Laden, whose citizenship was revoked, has branded Saudi rulers traitors to
Islam and "infidel agents" of Washington.
Last week, one of Saudi Arabia's most wanted Al Qaeda militants, called on
Muslims to kill Americans and vowed attacks against Arab US allies. Abdulaziz
Muqrin warned security and intelligence agents against combating militants.