This was also just reported on Fox News - nothing else for now.
None, they just gave him a uniform, like the PLO does.
Now we'll close our eyes and count to fifty, while you run away and hide somewhere else.
Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
Witnesses who had been diverted from the area by police speculated that the house may be the hideout of the suspected kidnappers. However, the security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, would not comment on who may be in the house.
On Tuesday, Saudi forces arrested two militants north of Riyadh as they increased security in and around the city in the hunt for Johnson's kidnappers.
An Islamic Web site screened a videotape of Johnson, 49, on Tuesday threatening his life unless the Saudi government freed all its al-Qaida detainees by Friday night.
I pray they get him out.
I'll take 4 in the "how many terrorists escape?" pool.
"Stop! We have the house surrounded!
Oh...er, hello, your majesty. Didn't expect to find YOU here.
(Pauses, acts like shoe is untied.)
Hey, wait, where did the bad guys go?"
I honestly believe that there will be some dead terrorists when this one is over. The Saudi's need our people to keep their oil flowing. Since the State Dept. has been calling for a pullout, they will need to show some serious effort on this one.
Probably none. The bad guys are obviously trying to topple the Saudi royal family. The house of Saud is wobbly about a lot of things, but this isn't one of them.
>>how much of a head start did the Saudi authorities give to the militants to aid their escape, before the police started firing their guns",
Why the sarc tag. Everyone knows the state apparatus is riddled with AQ symps.
That doesn't even make sense. "Anonymous sources would not comment?" If you aren't going to comment, why maintain anonymity. And if nothing was said, why quote them?
Pray!
The Saudis are trying to determine who is in the building...before they do anything destructive...
They wouldn't want to harm a member of the Royal Family, or anyone traceable to the Royal Family....
In most cases -- most will escape or be released upon capture...
Semper Fi
I hope he's okay, but I doubt it. We Americans have to remember how to die with dignity - that is, first cross yourself, and then keep the middle finger raised, even mentally. The Italian hostage who was killed essentially did this and I hope any of ours who die will do the same.
But what I also really want to see is us going in and bombing the heck out of the area. As long as we quietly tolerate kidnappings and killings, they're going to continue.
Will innocent civilians die? Yes, but there will never be pressure on that government to get serious about this until the citizens start to decide that their odds are better if their government stops supporting terrorism.
It could be the kidnappers, but it could also be the hideout of suspected Christians, let's not forget.
Seriously though, I pray they are successful and manage to rescue Paul.
Saudi Police Surround House in Capital
SALAH NASRAWI
Associated Press
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi security forces and police surrounded a house in the capital Wednesday, but withdrew from the area hours later, witnesses said. It was unclear whether anyone was detained.
Security officials would not comment on the operation, which blocked off the entire district of Al-Badeaa, in southwestern Riyadh, for at least three hours while security forces closed in on one house.
Witnesses said they heard gunfire and the anti-terrorism force use loudspeakers to urge those inside the house to surrender.
It was unclear whether anyone was in the house at the time. The witnesses said security forces later searched the house and a nearby mosque before the large force withdrew from the area.
The police cars and armored personnel carriers that blocked the roads then pulled out, leaving just a couple of police cars at the square marking the entrance to the neighborhood.
The operation came as Saudi Arabia stepped up its search for the kidnappers of Paul Johnson, an American taken hostage Saturday by a group calling itself al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
Witnesses who were diverted from the area by police speculated that the house may be the hideout of the suspected kidnappers. However, security officials would not comment on who may have been in the house.
On Tuesday, Saudi forces arrested two militants north of Riyadh as they increased security while hunting for Johnson's kidnappers.
An Islamic Web site screened a videotape of Johnson, 49, of Eagleswood Township, N.J., on Tuesday in which his captors threatened to kill him unless the Saudi government freed all its al-Qaida detainees by Friday.
Anyone working over there should have a tracking device implanted under his skin.