Posted on 06/20/2002 12:09:08 PM PDT by Shermy
A British man was killed today in a suspected car bomb explosion in Riyadh, the latest in a series of anti-western bombings in Saudi Arabia.
The victim was named as Simon Veness, a bank employee, and Saudi police said his vehicle - thought to be a four-wheel drive - exploded outside a residential compound in the country's capital at 8.54am local time (6:54 BST).
It was not immediately clear whether he was in the vehicle or next to it at the time of the explosion. However, an official at the British Embassy in Riyadh, who refused to be identified further, said, "The blast took place while the car was moving, not immediately after it was turned on."
The spokesman said the victim's hometown and other information was not immediately available and called on Britons to exercise caution, including checking their vehicles. Police said there were no other casualties.
Thibauld De Fayet, corporate communications manager for Al Bank Al Saudi Al Fransi, said Mr Veness had worked in the bank's Riyadh offices for the last four years as a financial risk manager. Another bank spokesman said Mr Veness was 35 and had lived in Riyadh with his wife and child.
In London, the Foreign Office said that its officials were in close contact with the Saudi police and with Mr Veness's family.
Officers cordoned off the area and barred access to journalists as authorities cleaned up the scene of the blast in a quiet residential neighborhood close to Imam Saud University. Most Westerners in Saudi Arabia live in guarded high-walled compounds.
There have been eight attacks in the country against westerners since November 2000, when two bombings in Riyadh killed a Briton and injured four others. A Scottish man was injured in an explosion in Khobar in December 2000.
In March 2001, a Briton and an Egyptian were injured in a bombing outside a large downtown Riyadh bookstore. In May 2001, an American was seriously injured in Khobar when the package he was opening exploded in his face.
Saudi officials denied suggestions that Islamic fundamentalists were involved, and said those blasts arose from disputes between western gangs smuggling alcohol, which is forbidden in the kingdom under Islamic laws but is not difficult to obtain.
Five Britons have been arrested in connection with the earlier bombings. But a Guardian investigation revealed flaws in the case against the men, who were all part of an expatriate drinking circle, and found evidence of systematic torture of suspects by the Saudi interior ministry.
Jail sentences of up to 18 years have been handed down to James Lee, James Cottle and Peter Brandon. Alexander "Sandy" Mitchell is thought to be facing capital punishment, along with a Canadian, William Sampson. A Belgian, Raf Schyvens, has been sentenced to eight years.
In April, the Saudi government raised the possibility the men may have their sentences reviewed.
Today's blast comes two days after the Saudi government announced that it had arrested a group of 13 people suspected to have links with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network.
Around 30,000 Britons work in Saudi Arabia, and British Aerospace alone generates £1.5bn annually in arms sales.
The British government has been accused of keeping relatively quiet about the convictions of the five men so as not to disturb the lucrative connections with the kingdom - a charge the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, denied. He insisted the government's approach to the men's cases best served their interests.
There isn't enough cash in the country for me. Some things are more valuable than money.
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