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U.S. Warns of Terrorist Attacks in Saudi Arabia, Closes Embassy
NewsMax ^ | 11/7/03 | wires

Posted on 11/07/2003 1:24:18 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The United States will close its missions in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for an undetermined period because of "credible" information that terrorists are about to carry out attacks, the U.S. Embassy said Friday. A warden message posted on the embassy's Web site said the missions would assess their "security posture."

They will then advise the American community when the review is completed and when the U.S. missions in Riyadh, the seaside city of Jiddah and Dhahran in the Eastern province plan to resume normal operations.

The embassy said it had received "credible information that terrorists in Saudi Arabia have moved from the planning to operational phase of planned attacks in the kingdom."

"The embassy strongly urges all American citizens in the kingdom to be especially vigilant when in any area that is perceived to be American or Western," the statement said.

Strange Way to Celebrate 'Holy' Ramadan

In October, the embassy urged Americans in Saudi Arabia to be vigilant during the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which ends later this month.

On Monday, Saudi police uncovered a cell believed linked to al-Qaida network in the holy city of Mecca. Police believe the cell had planned to carry out attacks during Ramadan.

The alert came a day after two suspected militants, believed to be members of the Mecca cell, blew themselves up in the holy city to avoid arrest. A third suspect was killed in a shootout with security forces in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

The Saudi government launched a nationwide security crackdown following the May 12 attacks on Western compounds in Riyadh. About 600 suspects believed linked to al-Qaida have been arrested since the May attacks, which killed 35 people, including the nine attackers.



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: alqaedasaudiarabia; mecca; nomissions; ramadan; saudiarabia; terrorist; usembassy; warning

1 posted on 11/07/2003 1:24:18 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
Saudi Interior Minister, "Naif" is known to have provided training and facilities for Al Quaida-linked Chechen terrorists. Read:"Sleeping With The Devil" by Robert Baer.

No wonder there are Saudi killers all over, including southern Russia. One was in the theater gang in Moscow last year.
2 posted on 11/07/2003 1:32:57 PM PST by illumini (AMERICA. Love her or leave her!)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
By Christian standards, this is undoubtedly a "strange way" to celebrate Ramadan.

By historic Moslem standards, Ramadan is not particularly "holy" ~ it's just a period of intermittent fasting and gluttony. Further, Moslems have never let it get in the way of war.

3 posted on 11/07/2003 1:55:45 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah
"Moslems have never let it get in the way of war.

Nor should we..
We should attack them wherever, whenever, with whomever, doing whatever at any time we can locate the Islamist militants...

Lots of these bastards must die, before they get the drift..

Semper Fi

4 posted on 11/07/2003 2:07:57 PM PST by river rat (War works......It brings Peace... Give war a chance to destroy Jihadists...)
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