Note: The following text is a quote:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_932.html
Travel Warning
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
This information is current as of today, Wed Dec 19 2007 18:27:58 GMT-0800 (PST).
SAUDI ARABIA
December 19, 2007
This Travel Warning updates information on the security situation in Saudi Arabia and reminds U.S. citizens of recommended security precautions. It supersedes the Travel Warning issued June 14, 2007.
The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia. The security threat level remains high due to the continued presence of terrorist groups, some affiliated with al Qaida, who may target Western interests, housing compounds, and other facilities where Westerners congregate. These terrorist groups may also target Saudi Government facilities and economic/commercial targets within the Kingdom.
In February 2007, four French tourists were killed in a terrorist incident on a desert track north of Medina. A gunman fired shots at the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah in May 2006. In February 2006, terrorists attempted an attack on Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq in the Eastern Province. An armed attack on the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah on December 6, 2004, resulted in five deaths and eleven serious injuries among non-U.S. staff members.
Although extremists have not conducted a successful attack against Westerners since February 2007, the United States Mission in Saudi Arabia remains an unaccompanied post as a result of continued security concerns. The Department of State has approved limited family visitation by adult dependents, in part because of the significant progress Saudi security forces have made in counteracting the terrorist threat within Saudi Arabia as they continue to arrest and break up terrorist cells
From time to time, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia may restrict travel of official Americans or suspend public services for security reasons. In those instances, the Embassy and Consulates will keep the local American citizen community apprised through the Warden System and make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. Warden Messages can be found on the U.S. Embassy Riyadh website: http://riyadh.usembassy.gov.
American citizens who choose to visit Saudi Arabia are strongly urged to avoid staying in hotels or housing compounds that do not apply stringent security measures and are also advised to maintain good situational awareness when visiting commercial establishments frequented by Westerners. American citizens also are advised to keep a low profile; vary times and routes of travel; exercise caution while driving, entering or exiting vehicles; and ensure that travel documents and visas are current and valid.
The Department of State advises that under Saudi law, married women need the permission of their husbands to leave Saudi Arabia and all children require the permission of their fathers to exit the country. This is true regardless of nationality, and the U.S. Embassy has very limited ability to facilitate exit permission.
Updated information on travel and security in Saudi Arabia may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 from within the U.S. or Canada or, from outside the U.S. or Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. For additional information, consult the Department of State’s Consular Information Sheet for Saudi Arabia, the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, and Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement at http://travel.state.gov.
U.S. citizens who require emergency services may telephone the Embassy in Riyadh at (966) (1) 488-3800, the Consulate in Jeddah at (966) (2) 667-0080, or the Consulate in Dhahran at (966) (3) 330-3200.
Gibberish?
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Police Investigate Bomb Threat Outside Studio 5
CHICAGO — Police detonated a suspicious package Wednesday outside 401 N. Michigan Ave., the building in which WMAQ’s Studio 5 is located.
NBC5’s Alex Perez reported that the situation began around 2:30 p.m., and police detonated the object around 4 p.m. A massive police response was involved, with about 40 to 50 officers cordoning off the area.
Officials told Perez that a man carrying a briefcase walked into the Italian Trade Commission on the 30th floor of the building and annonced he had a bomb. The man was escourted out of the building, where he apparently dropped the briefcase.
A police spokesman described what happened:
“(The suspect) waited quite a while for that person to come back from lunch, when that person came back from lunch, he didn’t know who this person was, and the gentlemen started speaking gibberish ... he had a briefcase with him and said there was a bomb in the briefcase,” the police spokesman said.
Police took the man into custody and detonated the briefcase, which officials said contained wires, but no actual explosive device......
http://www.nbc5.com/news/14892383/detail.html?dl=headlineclick