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The Target in Saudi Arabia: U.S. Experts

(London Times) - The terrorists knew that the three residential compounds in Riyadh were among the most popular with Westerners working in Saudi Arabia and were close enough to enable simultaneous attacks. It took the bombers less than 15 minutes to fight their way inside the complexes, all of which had the latest security, and to detonate their explosives next to villas and blocks of flats where families slept. They synchronized the assaults to ensure that security guards did not have time to warn neighbors or alert the authorities. Intelligence experts believe the main target was the Vinnell compound, home to scores of former U.S. servicemen who train the Saudi Arabian National Guard. It was the first to be attacked. About 70 American military specialists live here, some with their families. The company has worked in the kingdom for more than 25 years. A car bomb in December 1995 destroyed a U.S. Army building where Vinnell staff were working. A U.S. Army general described how a lorry and a black car had driven up to the main gates, approaching the U.S.-trained men on duty at the front gates. Gunmen in the car opened fire with automatic weapons, killing four Saudi sentries. One of the terrorists entered the main guardhouse and opened the heavy iron gates, allowing the lorry and its explosive load to pass through the security cordon. The lorry was driven a further 250 yards until it reached the highest building in the compound, where it exploded. Some witnesses say that they saw some of the gunmen escaping, including at least one man who had been in the lorry. General Powell stared up at the gutted block of flats and said: "These are people who were determined to penetrate places like this just for the purpose of killing people in their sleep, killing innocent people, killing people who had tried to help others."
2003-05-14 00:00:00
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