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Al-Qaeda hits Riyadh
Breaking news, should get clearer as the story developes ...
Three explosions rocked the Saudi capital Riyadh around midnight Saturday, and smoke could be seen rising from the area of the blast, diplomats said.
The diplomats said there was one big explosion at about midnight, followed by two smaller ones 15 seconds apart. Police cars raced toward the direction of the blasts, which appeared to have happened in the western part of the city. An American Embassy spokeswoman confirmed the explosion, but said it was not in the diplomatic quarter. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, and it wasn’t known if there were any casualties. Almost all the foreign embassies in Riyadh - including the U.S. Embassy - and most diplomats’ homes are inside the quarter, an isolated neighborhood whose entrances are guarded. But there are several residential compounds housing Western business people relatively near to the diplomatic quarter on the city’s west side. A western diplomat said he got a call from a friend who reported seeing smoke rising from a building on the other side of the diplomatic quarter near an area where the palaces of the royal family’s senior princes are located.
Did al-Adel and Co decide that they were sick and tired of this crackdown business and decide to target the royal family directly?
Might lend a new dimension to the word "suicide boomers" if they did...
The Al-Arabiya television network said an explosion shook a building in west Riyadh, but it did not give a source for its information or provide footage. American diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia were closed Saturday for an undetermined period amid warnings that a terror attack could be imminent in the tense Gulf kingdom.
This would appear to be that.

Followup: Here's the al-Jizz version...
Many are reported dead and at least 100 people, mainly children, have been wounded after three explosions rocked a residential housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Details are still emerging from the scene but a Saudi journalist told Al-jazeera that a shootout took place in the compound where the explosion occurred. Abd al-Rahman al-Lahim reported from the scene of the explosion and said there was a large fire in the compound where he heard three blasts, only seconds apart. Al-Lahim added that the compound houses foreigners from various countries and said security forces have blocked off the area surrounding the compound, preventing people from entering.
They're hoping that's the case. AFP sez it's almost exclusively Soddy housing, about 200 villas, of which four are inhabited by foreigners — two French, one German, one British.
Saudi Arabia's interior ministry confirmed the explosions saying "A terrorist bombing occurred at al-Muhaya residential compound west of Riyadh tonight." A Saudi security source said the blasts occurred about 10 km west of Riyadh at a compound used by Saudis and foreign, mainly Arab, workers. The Riyadh blasts come one day after the United States warned of terrorist attacks and shut its missions in the kingdom.
Guess we were right about that one, huh?
A US Embassy spokeswoman confirmed the explosion, but said it was not in the diplomatic quarter.
AFP says that "The compound, a former US Marine base, is located in the Wadi Laban suburb, behind the al-Yamama royal palace."
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
I read somewhere — maybe heard it on Fox News — that ten houses were flattened. Fox News reports one American is missing, who was working in the compound...
Another diplomat said he got a call from a friend who reported seeing smoke rising from a building on the other side of the diplomatic quarter near an area where the palaces of the royal family's senior princes are located.
That's what gave rise to the story about the royals being attacked...

Posted by: Dan Darling 2003-11-08
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=20991