Seraphim
11-08-2003, 05:23 PM
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=1&u=/ap/20031108/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_explosion
By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press Writer
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Three explosions rocked a residential compound in western Riyadh near the diplomatic quarter around midnight Saturday, and smoke could be seen rising from the area of the blast, diplomats said.
The diplomats reported one big explosion at about midnight, followed by two smaller ones 15 seconds apart in the western part of the city. The streets were crowded with late night crowds because of Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims fast during the day.
A U.S. embassy spokesperson said the attack targeted the B2 compound, which is in the Nakheel neighborhood near the Muhaya shopping center. It's a residential area, with mainly Saudis and other Arabs with a few foreigners.
The official said all U.S. embassy personnel are accounted for. There is no information on casualties, including whether private Americans are involved.
Police cars and ambulances raced toward the direction of the blasts, sirens wailing. Traffic was tied up across the city.
The al-Jazeera satellite TV station reported a shootout occurred in the compound where the explosion occurred. An al-Jazeera correspondent, reporting from the scene of the explosion, said there was a large fire in the compound, where he heard three blasts.
The al-Jazeera correspondent said the compound houses foreigners from various countries, and said security forces have blocked off the area surrounding the compound, preventing people from entering.
"We heard a very strong explosion and we saw the fire," Bassem al-Hourani, who said he was a resident at the targeted compound, told the Al-Arabiya television network in a telephone interview.
"I heard screams of the children and women. I don't know what happened to my friends if anybody was injured," he said. "All the glass in my house were shattered."
American diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia were closed Saturday for an undetermined period amid warnings that a terror attack could be imminent in the tense Gulf kingdom.
Almost all the foreign embassies in Riyadh — including the U.S. Embassy — and most diplomats' homes are inside the quarter, an isolated neighborhood whose entrances are guarded.
But there are several residential compounds housing Western business people relatively near the diplomatic quarter, located on the city's west side.
A western diplomat said he got a call from a friend who reported seeing smoke rising from a building on the other side of the diplomatic quarter near an area where the palaces of the royal family's senior princes are located.
The city's main palaces, including those of senior princes and the king's sprawling Riyadh residence, are just outside the east side of the diplomatic quarter. Each of the palaces is behind a high wall, with automatic gates for cars to drive through, and guards.
A May attack on western residential compounds in Riyadh killed 35 people, including the nine attackers. Since the, Saudi authorities have arrested hundreds of suspected militants throughout the country.
By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press Writer
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Three explosions rocked a residential compound in western Riyadh near the diplomatic quarter around midnight Saturday, and smoke could be seen rising from the area of the blast, diplomats said.
The diplomats reported one big explosion at about midnight, followed by two smaller ones 15 seconds apart in the western part of the city. The streets were crowded with late night crowds because of Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims fast during the day.
A U.S. embassy spokesperson said the attack targeted the B2 compound, which is in the Nakheel neighborhood near the Muhaya shopping center. It's a residential area, with mainly Saudis and other Arabs with a few foreigners.
The official said all U.S. embassy personnel are accounted for. There is no information on casualties, including whether private Americans are involved.
Police cars and ambulances raced toward the direction of the blasts, sirens wailing. Traffic was tied up across the city.
The al-Jazeera satellite TV station reported a shootout occurred in the compound where the explosion occurred. An al-Jazeera correspondent, reporting from the scene of the explosion, said there was a large fire in the compound, where he heard three blasts.
The al-Jazeera correspondent said the compound houses foreigners from various countries, and said security forces have blocked off the area surrounding the compound, preventing people from entering.
"We heard a very strong explosion and we saw the fire," Bassem al-Hourani, who said he was a resident at the targeted compound, told the Al-Arabiya television network in a telephone interview.
"I heard screams of the children and women. I don't know what happened to my friends if anybody was injured," he said. "All the glass in my house were shattered."
American diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia were closed Saturday for an undetermined period amid warnings that a terror attack could be imminent in the tense Gulf kingdom.
Almost all the foreign embassies in Riyadh — including the U.S. Embassy — and most diplomats' homes are inside the quarter, an isolated neighborhood whose entrances are guarded.
But there are several residential compounds housing Western business people relatively near the diplomatic quarter, located on the city's west side.
A western diplomat said he got a call from a friend who reported seeing smoke rising from a building on the other side of the diplomatic quarter near an area where the palaces of the royal family's senior princes are located.
The city's main palaces, including those of senior princes and the king's sprawling Riyadh residence, are just outside the east side of the diplomatic quarter. Each of the palaces is behind a high wall, with automatic gates for cars to drive through, and guards.
A May attack on western residential compounds in Riyadh killed 35 people, including the nine attackers. Since the, Saudi authorities have arrested hundreds of suspected militants throughout the country.