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By Nick Wells
Sydney, May 13 (Bloomberg) -- Explosions rocked compounds housing westerners in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, in an attack U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said bore ``all the earmarks of al-Qaeda.''
At least three people were killed and 50 injured, Agence France-Presse reported. More than 40 Americans were among those wounded when three complexes were attacked late yesterday by vehicles packed with explosives, U.S. Ambassador Robert Jordan told Cable News Network in a telephone interview. Early indications are that they were suicide bombers, he told CNN.
``Terrorism is a global phenomenon that we must all fight,'' Powell said at a news conference in Jordan. ``The United States will not be deterred from pursuing the interests of peace around the world in the face of this kind of attack.'' The attack in Riyadh was carried out by ``cowardly individuals,'' he said.
The U.S. State Department issued a warning May 1 saying U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia after it received information terrorist groups may be ``in the final phases of planning attacks against U.S. interests.''
The Saudi government said last week it was hunting for 19 suspected members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network after a gun battle with security forces. Members of the group left behind a weapons cache including automatic weapons and 377 kilograms (829 pounds) of explosives, AFP said at the time.
Stay at Home
``We are advising U.S. citizens to remain at home until we can ascertain the facts and the nature of any ongoing threats,'' State Department spokeswoman Nancy Beck said in Washington. ``At this time, we are working closely with the Saudi authorities.''
The attack in Riyadh late yesterday left at least one westerner dead, AFP said, citing witnesses. His nationality wasn't immediately known. The others were a Saudi and a Lebanese.
``It has been an attack on three residential housing compounds made up largely of westerners,'' Jordan, the U.S. ambassador, told CNN. ``Many of them are western defense contractors but there are also residents of a number of other nationalities in these compounds, including Saudis.''
Armed men fired on the guards of one compound before driving into the complex and blowing up their car, Awadh al-Qahtani, a witness, told AFP.
Another witness identified only as John told the British Broadcasting Corp. it was unlikely anyone in the nearest five or six houses would have survived the blast.
``There is nothing left, only the concrete superstructure,'' he said.
There aren't any changes in Powell's plans to visit Riyadh today, Beck said.
Last Updated: May 13, 2003 01:18 EDT