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Saudi forces kill suspects tied to attack on refinery
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-28 09:05
Saudi forces on Monday killed five suspected militants believed to be linked
to an al Qaeda attack on the world's biggest oil processing plant, the Interior
Ministry said.
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video grab shows smoke emerging from the location of the shootout which
erupted at dawn after Saudi security forces besieged suspects in a villa
in east Riyadh February 27,2006.
[Reuters] |
A shootout began at dawn after
security forces besieged suspects in a villa in east Riyadh where several
Western residential compounds are located.
An official statement said five men were killed and one other suspected
militant was arrested elsewhere in the capital.
"Early this morning security forces stormed a building in east Riyadh which a
criminal gang was using as a center for attacks and corruption," it said. "All
five were killed after an intense exchange of fire."
The shootout took place days after al Qaeda suicide bombers tried to storm
the Abqaiq oil facility in the first direct strike on a Saudi energy target
since the militant group launched attacks aimed at toppling the U.S.-allied
monarchy in 2003. The kingdom is the world's biggest oil exporter.
The men were hiding in a villa in a newly developed residential district near
the al-Hamra area where several Western housing compounds are located, security
sources said.
Security sources said police had tracked down the militants after pursuing
two vehicles that appeared on the surveillance video of the Abqaiq facility
shortly before it was attacked.
One source said the men were also traced through Internet monitoring.
Internet statements issued at the weekend said al Qaeda was behind the Abqaiq
attack.
Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki told Reuters police seized a
large cache of explosives at the villa and that the suspected militant was being
interrogated. He declined to say if he was on a list of most wanted al Qaeda
fugitives.
Witnesses in Riyadh said they heard heavy gunfire and what appeared to be
mortars as security forces surrounded the suburb and sealed it off before dawn.
"Around the time of dawn prayers, we heard the sound of shots and saw the sky
light up. Then a short time later there were heavy explosions," journalist Odwan
al-Ahmari, who lives in the area, told Reuters. The clashes trapped about two
dozen worshippers in a mosque, he said.
The shootout ended after about two hours with the deaths of all of the men
inside the building, the security sources said.
QAEDA WEAKENED
The Saudi wing of Osama bin Laden's network has been weakened by a government
crackdown in which its leaders have either been killed or arrested.
The Abqaiq strike was the first major attack by militants opposed to the
Saudi monarchy since suicide bombers tried to storm the Interior Ministry in
Riyadh in December 2004.
Saudi Arabia's top cleric, a central figure in the state propaganda war
against militants, condemned the Abqaiq attack as an attempt to destroy the
livelihood of millions of Muslims.
"First they wanted to kill infidels and expel them from the Arabian Peninsula
... Now the devil has led them to target the public and private wealth of
Muslims," said Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh in a statement read on
state television.
Authorities say two of the bombers were on a list of top wanted al
Qaeda-linked Islamic militants issued last year. Al Qaeda had previously
identified them in an Internet statement posted on Saturday and vowed more
attacks.
In 2005, Saudi Arabia raised its oil security budget by about a fifth to
around $1.55 billion, security adviser Nawaf Obaid said. A total of 35,500
security personnel guard the country's oil installations.
An Interior Ministry statement said the suicide bombers in Abqaiq had used
two tonnes of explosives in their foiled attack, which caused a huge explosion
at the gate of the facility.
Security analyst Faris bin Houzam said only four of the 36 suspects on a most
wanted list remained at large in Saudi Arabia. He said many of those on the list
were believed to have joined insurgents fighting in Iraq and some may be dead.
The men killed on Monday have not yet been identified.
"This is not a new generation," he said, referring to the latest incidents.
"It's clear that these are people the security forces have been tracking over
the past two years."
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