The Hindu : International : Six westerners die in Saudi attack

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Sunday, May 02, 2004

International

International

Six westerners die in Saudi attack

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA, MAY 1. Exactly a week after an attack on oil terminals in Iraq's port city of Basra, gunmen have targeted a refinery in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea industrial hub of Yanbu, which is also a major port for exporting oil.

At least two Americans were killed and another two were wounded during the strike on the refinery co-owned by Exxon Mobil and the Saudi company SABIC. Two British, one Australian and one Italian national were feared dead, diplomats were quoted as saying. Several others including three of the attackers were reportedly killed.

The port of Yanbu on Saudi Arabia's western coast is a strategic asset as it has the capacity of exporting five million barrels of oil per day. The port has been developed both to supplement and to serve as an alternative to the Saudi Arabia's east coast export terminals in the Persian Gulf.

According to Saudi authorities, four persons were involved in the attack. Militants entered a building, opened fire on workers, while suicide bombers detonated a car bomb. The assailants are said to have then driven to a residential area and began a shooting spree. They also targeted shops, a McDonalds restaurant, and surrounded a hotel.

According to an agency report, a westerner was killed in a five-star hotel. Eyewitnesses said a body tied to the back of the car was dragged through the streets.

Residents say the fighting that began at 7 AM local time appeared to have subsided. The police had set up checkpoints throughout the city, and this prevented a number of expatriate workers from reporting for work.

Saudi Arabia, home of the fugitive terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, has become prone to extremist strikes over the last one year. Last week, militants bombed the old Saudi security headquarters building in Riyadh, killing five people and wounded 147 others, marking the first strike ever on a government facility.

This week, Saudi Arabia's top Al-Qaeda operative threatened the Saudi security forces with major attacks and warned Muslims to disassociate themselves from Americans in order to escape harm.

The attack in Yanbu acquires importance as Saudi planners have developed the port as an alternative to the Ras Tanura oil export outlet on the Persian Gulf.

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