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Qatar's Al-Jazeera television aired video footage on Sunday of what it said was the murder of US national Robert Jacob in the Saudi capital by suspected Al-Qaeda killers. The body of a Western-dressed man is seen hitting the ground as several gunshots ring out. The feet and legs of two men in civilian dress are also shown, apparently the assassins. The scene is in the covered yard of a residential building where a four-wheel drive vehicle is parked in a garage space. The footage was attributed to an Al-Qaeda terror cell, which claimed responsibility for the killing. The video described...

WASHINGTON, 10 June 2004 — Robert C. Jacobs, the American citizen who was shot and killed on Tuesday at his home in Riyadh, refused to live on his company’s heavily-fortified compound, preferring to live among Saudis in a middle class neighborhood. “My son refused to live in the secure compound provided by Vinnell, because he enjoyed living among the Saudis,” his mother, Oma Lee Jacobs, told Arab News in a telephone interview from her home in Illinois. “He liked them, their cuisine, and enjoyed living there. He liked going to camel races and browsing in the markets there.” Jacobs, 63,...

Saudi terrorists kill US military adviser to royal family's guards By Robin Gedye (Filed: 09/06/2004) Saudi terrorists yesterday killed an American military adviser to the elite National Guard hours after al-Qa'eda warned Muslims to stay away from westerners, who were now a priority target. The dead man, Robert Jacobs, 62, worked for the Vinnell Corporation, an American defence contractor hired by the US military to train the guard, whose duties include protecting the Saudi royal family. Saudi police at the scene of the shooting It was the fifth assault on westerners in Saudi Arabia in five weeks and the second...

RIYDAH, June 8 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot dead an American who worked for a U.S. contracting firm in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday, the fifth assault on Westerners in the world's leading oil exporter in five weeks. The latest killing in the kingdom, battling militants loyal to Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, heightened fears among tens of thousands of expatriates, many of whom work in the oil industry. In Washington, a U.S. State Department official confirmed that an American man was killed in Riyadh but said he could not provide details, pending notification of the family. "I...

<p>Plans to deploy the first battalion of Iraq's new army are in doubt because a third of the soldiers trained by the U.S.-led occupation authority have quit, defense officials said Wednesday.</p> <p>Touted as a key to Iraq's future, the 700-man battalion lost some 250 men over recent weeks as they were preparing to begin operations this month, Pentagon officials said.</p>

<p>The deaths yesterday of three employees of a Reston-based defense company protecting U.S. diplomats in the Gaza Strip highlight the explosive growth of &#8212; and growing perils to &#8212; private companies taking over jobs once the exclusive domain of government and the military.</p>

Al Qaeda’s Grim Cat’s Cradle – Just the Beginning DEBKAfile Special Report Updating DEBKA-Net-Weekly Exclusive May 18, 2003, 12:49 AM (GMT+02:00) Click on small map for spread of al Qaeda network's international bases. Remarks by President George W. Bush on White House South Lawn Friday May 16, 03:20 pm. Q. In terms of combating terrorism at home, do you think the Saudis have gotten the message this time around? A. Well, Saudi Arabia is our friend, John, and we’re working closely with them to track down the killers of American citizens and British citizens and citizens from Saudi Arabia, as...

Thu May 15,11:04 AM ET Firemen inspect the devastated Al-Hamra expatriate housing compound that was hit by a suicide car bomb.(AFP/Bilal Qabalan) > Saudi policemen inspect the devastated Al-Hamra expatriate housing compound that was hit by a suicide car bomb attack that was immediately blamed on the al-Qaeda terrorist network.(AFP/Bilal Qabalan)

<p>The United States sought futilely to get security tightened around western residential compounds in Riyadh before this week's terror attack, the American ambassador to Saudi Arabia said Wednesday.</p> <p>"As soon as we learned of this particular threat information, we contacted the Saudi government," Robert Jordan said. He said the U.S. government asked the Saudis for such security improvements "on several occasions."</p>

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) toured the twisted wreckage left by a terrorist bombing Tuesday, and President Bush (news - web sites) promised those responsible "will be brought to justice." The FBI (news - web sites) dispatched a team to help investigate. A State Department official said it was "very possible" the administration would order home all nonessential diplomats in light of the attacks. In Riyadh, the smell of explosives hung in the air and a U.S. flag dangled from the roof of the destroyed building as Powell described the bombing as...