lucky wilbury
04-21-2004, 12:59 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,117722,00.html
Deadly Car Bombs Rock Saudi Capital
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Deadly car bombs blew up Wednesday in front of the Saudi security headquarters in the capital Riyadh (search), killing at least nine people, according to news reports.
The Associated Press reported that another 125 people were wounded in the attacks. Reuters put the death toll at possibly 10.
Police officials said that two car bombs were detonated.
"The explosion resulted from two car bombs that were parked about 50 feet from the building," a police official told The Associated Press. He said "a number of charred bodies" were carried away from the scene.
One of the dead was a police officer, while the other body was identified as a suicide attacker, the official said, adding that more than 60 people were wounded.
The explosions, which severely damaged the General Security building — the administrative headquarters of the Saudi domestic security service — rocked the Saudi capital just days after a U.S. warning of possible terrorist attacks.
Reporters on the scene saw ambulances rushing to the site and smoke billowing from the area which houses government buildings. Clouds of black smoke rose from the site and settled over the neighborhood, and security forces evacuated surrounding buildings.
Facades were torn off buildings near the explosions, revealing rooms still ablaze. Cars parked nearby were smashed by debris. Clouds of dust and black smoke rose from the building and settled over the neighborhood.
"The explosion resulted from two car bombs that were parked about 50 feet from the building," a police official told The Associated Press. He said "a number of charred bodies" were carried away from the scene.
A Saudi Interior Ministry (search) source earlier told Reuters that the car bomb was believed to be a "terrorist" act.
Saudi television showed the General Security building, about seven floors, with its glass facade shattered and severe damage inside. Fire brigades worked to extinguish the fires, and more than 20 ambulances had arrived. Two helicopters flew above the site of the explosion. Police blocked the area and evacuated the surrounding buildings.
Hanan Batteesha, an Egyptian woman, was with her two children, aged 11 and 14, when she heard a "big blast."
"We heard wails and cries, then saw our neighbors running down the stairs," she said.
By the time they reached the ground floor, "the gate was damaged, windows started shattering, and glass fell all over us," she said. "The fronts of the buildings around us were damaged, the air conditioners mangled and there was smoke everywhere."
The explosions came only days after Saudi authorities announced they had seized three booby-trapped SUVs that were loaded with a total of more than four tons of explosives and had apparently been abandoned by militants involved in a shootout with security forces.
The United States last week ordered the departure of nonessential U.S. government employees and family members from Saudi Arabia. It also urged private citizens to leave the kingdom, and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh (search) issued an advisory warning of "credible indications of terrorist threats aimed at American and Western interests in Saudi Arabia."
An April 12 shootout in Riyadh left one suspected militant and one policeman dead. The next day, militants opened fire at a checkpoint in Riyadh, killing four police officers. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the shootouts
Last year, the Saudi capital suffered two major attacks by homicide bombers driving vehicles filled with explosives. A total of 51 people were killed in the May and November bombings, including the assailants.
The Saudis pursued terrorists and Islamic extremists vigorously after those attacks, arresting hundreds of people.
The attacks were blamed on Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda (search), the network accused of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001, strikes in the United States.
Deadly Car Bombs Rock Saudi Capital
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Deadly car bombs blew up Wednesday in front of the Saudi security headquarters in the capital Riyadh (search), killing at least nine people, according to news reports.
The Associated Press reported that another 125 people were wounded in the attacks. Reuters put the death toll at possibly 10.
Police officials said that two car bombs were detonated.
"The explosion resulted from two car bombs that were parked about 50 feet from the building," a police official told The Associated Press. He said "a number of charred bodies" were carried away from the scene.
One of the dead was a police officer, while the other body was identified as a suicide attacker, the official said, adding that more than 60 people were wounded.
The explosions, which severely damaged the General Security building — the administrative headquarters of the Saudi domestic security service — rocked the Saudi capital just days after a U.S. warning of possible terrorist attacks.
Reporters on the scene saw ambulances rushing to the site and smoke billowing from the area which houses government buildings. Clouds of black smoke rose from the site and settled over the neighborhood, and security forces evacuated surrounding buildings.
Facades were torn off buildings near the explosions, revealing rooms still ablaze. Cars parked nearby were smashed by debris. Clouds of dust and black smoke rose from the building and settled over the neighborhood.
"The explosion resulted from two car bombs that were parked about 50 feet from the building," a police official told The Associated Press. He said "a number of charred bodies" were carried away from the scene.
A Saudi Interior Ministry (search) source earlier told Reuters that the car bomb was believed to be a "terrorist" act.
Saudi television showed the General Security building, about seven floors, with its glass facade shattered and severe damage inside. Fire brigades worked to extinguish the fires, and more than 20 ambulances had arrived. Two helicopters flew above the site of the explosion. Police blocked the area and evacuated the surrounding buildings.
Hanan Batteesha, an Egyptian woman, was with her two children, aged 11 and 14, when she heard a "big blast."
"We heard wails and cries, then saw our neighbors running down the stairs," she said.
By the time they reached the ground floor, "the gate was damaged, windows started shattering, and glass fell all over us," she said. "The fronts of the buildings around us were damaged, the air conditioners mangled and there was smoke everywhere."
The explosions came only days after Saudi authorities announced they had seized three booby-trapped SUVs that were loaded with a total of more than four tons of explosives and had apparently been abandoned by militants involved in a shootout with security forces.
The United States last week ordered the departure of nonessential U.S. government employees and family members from Saudi Arabia. It also urged private citizens to leave the kingdom, and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh (search) issued an advisory warning of "credible indications of terrorist threats aimed at American and Western interests in Saudi Arabia."
An April 12 shootout in Riyadh left one suspected militant and one policeman dead. The next day, militants opened fire at a checkpoint in Riyadh, killing four police officers. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the shootouts
Last year, the Saudi capital suffered two major attacks by homicide bombers driving vehicles filled with explosives. A total of 51 people were killed in the May and November bombings, including the assailants.
The Saudis pursued terrorists and Islamic extremists vigorously after those attacks, arresting hundreds of people.
The attacks were blamed on Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda (search), the network accused of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001, strikes in the United States.