Summary of EmergencyNet News "Real-Time" Reports Concerning Three Car Explosions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 17-18, 23-25 Nov, and 15-17 Dec 2000

SAUDI ARABIA:

INSTANT 09:30CST - 17 Dec 2000

U.S. Warns Its Nationals After 3rd Blast in Less Than a Month

After a British citizen was seriously wounded in the third car bombing in the kingdom in less than a month, the U.S. State Department warned Americans in Saudi Arabia to exercise increased caution. The U.S. embassy in Riyadh said in its latest security advisory: "American citizens in Saudi Arabia should avoid leaving their cars unattended and keep their vehicles locked at all times. If left unattended, a thorough inspection of your vehicle, both interior and exterior is strongly advised."

The British bombing victim was injured Friday when a juice carton placed near the windshield of his car exploded. A Briton was killed when his car exploded in November in Riyadh. A few days later three Britons and an Irish woman were injured when an explosion ripped through a car.

The U.S. embassy statement repeated an earlier warning that the U.S. government had indications that unnamed individuals may be planning attacks against U.S. citizens and interests in the Gulf region and Turkey.

INSTANT 09:00CST - 16 Dec 2000

Briton Hurt In Another Blast...

The official Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday that an explosive device placed on a British man's windshield blew up when he tried to remove it, and the man sustained serious injuries. The man was wounded in his right hand and other parts of his body. He was rushed to a hospital after the Friday evening incident in eastern Saudi Arabia and is said to be in stable condition.

The victim was driving with his wife when he noticed a small paper bag that looked like a juice container on his windshield. It exploded in his hands when he tried to remove it. The man's wife was not injured. The explosion apparently was the third in less than a month targeting Saudi Arabia's British community.

ERRI analysts said that it is not known if the Friday evening incident was linked to two previous blasts (see below), but that it was unlikely that an American who was previously arrested could have taken part in this latest explosion...he remains in custody. 

15 Dec 2000

American Said Linked To Bombing

In remarks published on Thursday, a Saudi cabinet minister said that police have linked a detained U.S. citizen to an explosion that killed a British man. The American, identified as Michael Sedlak, was arrested last week in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. He has not been charged with any crime, but the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan has reported he is being questioned about two car bombings that killed a Briton and wounded four other people last month. 

In comments published in the English-language Arab News on Thursday, Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed confirmed Sedlak was linked to one of the blasts. In 17 November, a car bomb killed 48-year-old Christopher Rodway and wounded his wife. On 22 November, a bomb exploded in another car, wounding two men and a woman. The prince told the newspaper that police had not ruled out Sedlak's being involved in both explosions, but "per available information, we'll link him with only the first one." Sedlak is employed by a private company and has lived in Saudi Arabia for several years.

Today, however, unnamed Saudi officials seemed to be stepping back from the confirmation that the American was directly involved in the bombings. According to an article published today (Friday) by the  Associated Press, an Interior Ministry official reportedly said that earlier statements about a proven link between Michael Sedlak and the explosion were "unfounded."

"The investigation is still going ahead with (Sedlak) as well as other persons who have been detained for suspicions according to the available information on the incident,'' the agency quoted the unidentified official as saying. The official "denied that the investigation has proved so far the involvement of (Sedlak) in the two bomb incidents,'' the agency said.

25 Nov 2000

SAUDI ARABIA: 

Bombs Believed To Be Linked

According to Saudi authorities, the two car bombs that exploded in Riyadh during the last week were similar and basic devices. One British national was killed and three more were wounded in the bombings. No one has yet claimed responsibility for either explosion, but the British Foreign Office has advised Britons in the country to be extra vigilant. Most Saudi investigators now believe the attacks were politically motivated.

Saudi Arabia's deputy interior minister, Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul-Aziz, told the Saudi newspaper, Al-Riyadh, that some of the bomb's components may have been imported and then assembled locally. The Saudi Government has sought to play down the explosions which both took place in the capital Riyadh. They have suggested that the motives may have been personal, but most Saudi investigators now believe otherwise.

A leading Saudi dissident based in London, Dr Saad Al-Faqih, says he believes the car bombs were planted by small local groups with a grudge against the West. He says these groups do not have the resources to mount a major attack like the one last month on a U.S. warship in Aden harbor. Instead, he says, they have gone for "soft targets" like British expatriates to show their anger at Western policies in the Middle East.

24 Nov 2000

SAUDI ARABIA:

British Experts Help Probe Saudi Bomb

A British forensic expert has examined a car that exploded in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Wednesday, wounding three Britons. The expert said the explosion was definitely caused by a bomb. It was the second such incident in five days in Riyadh, following an explosion that killed a British man and injured his wife there on Friday.

Some Saudi authorities have suggested that the motive behind the bombings was personal rather than political, but the British Foreign Office is increasingly concerned that someone with a grudge against the West may be targeting Britons. The Foreign Office has advised British nationals living in or traveling to Saudi Arabia to exercise "caution."

The British embassy in Riyadh said security was under review and would be tightened in the wake of the attack. There are more than 25,000 Britons living in Saudi Arabia, many of them working in the defense industry. Two of the victims of Wednesday's attack have been identified as working for an aircraft firm half-owned by the U.S. aerospace giant Boeing.

02:00CST - 23 Nov 2000

Three British Citizens Injured in Second Car Bomb Blast in a Week

From ERRI/EmergencyNet News Watchdesk

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (EmergencyNet News) Two men and a woman were rushed to hospital after what is being reported as an explosion in a car. The incident happened as the trio were driving on King Abdul Aziz street. The British Foreign Office said the victim's wounds were not thought to be life threatening. The blast reportedly occurred at about 10.55p.m. (local) (19:55 GMT). Few details as to the type of device or actual circumstances surrounding the explosion were being released by local authorities.  Thursday's bombing follows a similar situation on 17 Nov 2000, also in Riyadh.

Although Saudi authorities publicly continue to maintain that both blasts were the result of "personal motives" rather than terrorism, a growing number of counter-terrorist experts on both side of the Atlantic say that they are concerned that political violence involving the Palestinians and Israelis may have spread into Saudi Arabia.   

Professor Paul Wilkinson, director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at St Andrew's University, is quoted by the BBC as saying: "There is increasing evidence of the need to galvanize our activities in improving security for expatriates and organizations in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East. "There is now every reason to enhance the vigilance of our security, and British security measures must be based on the assumption that British targets are also at risk," Wilkinson added.

ERRI spokesman and Sr. Counter-Terrorist analyst, Clark Staten, said that he continues to be concerned that Israeli/Palestinian-related terrorism will be spilling over into other countries. "My index of suspicion is rising by the day as reports of these various attacks on innocents continue to come in...it would appear that any country that has traditionally been even civil to Israel may become a target of extremists," Staten said. "We would urge 'Westerners' living or working anywhere in the Mid-East to use greater than normal caution at this time...are monitoring the situation there very closely and may issue another terrorism advisory in the near future," he added.

British security and diplomatic officials are said to be working closely with Saudi police and intelligence services to ascertain the motive and perpetrators in both recent attacks.  An investigation has also been launched into any possible link between the two blasts.  

Instant 09:00CST - 18 Nov 2000

SAUDI ARABIA

Explosion Kills Man...

While he was driving with his wife through the near the intersection of Aruba Street and Olaya Street, in the Saudi capital, a British hospital worker was killed on Friday when an explosion ripped through his car. The blast killed Christopher Rodway. His wife was slightly injured and released from the hospital hours after the explosion. Both victims were in their 40s and had lived in Saudi Arabia for eight years.

Police in Riyadh said that the couple's car may have been booby-trapped. Traffic was fairly light in the central Riyadh commercial district when the explosion blew through the couple's four-wheel-drive vehicle at 1323 hours local time. The blast was not powerful enough to break the windows of nearby shops.

One witness said the man's leg was nearly severed when rescue workers removed him from the vehicle. The explosion came just hours before the start of an international energy conference meant to discuss ways of ensuring stability in world oil markets. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef said he believes that political or personal motives may have been behind the explosion. Saudi newspapers Saturday quoted Prince Nayef as saying he did not believe the blast was linked to the energy conference.

The pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper quoted Prince Nayef as saying that the explosive device was placed under the driver's seat and that Rodway may have been personally targeted. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, which occurred after Friday Muslim prayers.

***** 

Instant 12:00CST - 17 Nov 2000

Bombing Victims Identified As Brits

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  (EmergencyNet News) -- Information now being received from Saudi Arabia says that only one person was killed in the car explosion reported earlier today.  Although the official facts continue to be sketchy, it now appears that the victims were a British man and woman. A British embassy spokesman reportedly said the two British victims were residents of Saudi Arabia.

The man has reportedly died of wounds received in a blast which destroyed their 4X4 at about 13:20 local time (09:20GMT). The woman was only wounded, not critically, according to Saudi sources.  

Details concerning the actual type of explosive device that was used remain elusive at the time of this report. No claim of responsibility has been reported, nor is a motive for the attack known at this time. Local reports, however, suggest that the blast comes at the opening of a 40 nation energy conference that is getting underway in Riyadh and that the attack may have been meant to be a message to participants. 

EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in Saudi Arabia closely and will provide additional details if/when they become available...   

*****

Initial Report: 08:00CST - 17 Nov 2000

Car Explodes in Saudi Arabian Capital

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  (EmergencyNet News) -- According to Saudi emergency service sources, a car has exploded in the city center today, killing two people. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the explosion was caused by some sort of device that was thrown into the car.  A second officially unconfirmed report says that the the explosion was caused by "a grenade" and that the targets were "British civilians." That report has not been confirmed by official Saudi sources.

© EmergencyNet News Service, 2000. All rights reserved. Redistribution or republication without expressed permission of ERRI/EmergencyNet News is prohibited by law

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