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| Arabia |
| Qatar finds house where suicide bombing was prepared |
| 2005-03-26 |
| Qatari authorities have found the house used to prepare a suicide car bombing that killed a Briton at a theatre in the Gulf Arab state, the Interior Ministry said on Friday. A ministry statement carried on the state news agency QNA said the car had been rigged with explosives at the house before an Egyptian man rammed it into the theatre popular with Westerners last Saturday in the capital Doha. It gave no further details on the investigation into the attack, the first in the energy-rich country which hosts the US Central Command that directed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. A source close to the probe told Reuters the attack was "sophisticated" and authorities were investigating whether the bomber acted alone. A government official has said it was too early to tell if Al Qaeda was involved. The US embassy in Doha urged its citizens to be vigilant and avoid public gatherings during the Easter holiday after an unknown group claimed responsibility for the bombing and vowed to hit churches and "crusader" military bases in the region. "The recent attack on our consulate in (the Saudi city of) Jeddah and now the suicide bombing here in Doha highlighted the capability and motivation of radical militant groups," the embassy said in a message dated on Thursday. The British mission said there was a "high threat of terrorism" in Qatar and advised its citizens to take security precautions. "Attacks could be indiscriminate and against Western, including British, interests." Qatar has boosted security around Western residential compounds and schools, some of which remained shut, after the bombing which wounded 16 people, mostly Arabs and Asians. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |