- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The
United States ordered nonessential diplomats out of Saudi Arabia on Thursday
and warned all Americans they should leave, citing fresh signals that attacks
are planned on U.S. and Western interests.
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- The decision requires the families of all diplomats at
the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran to leave
the kingdom, which is battling a wave of violence believed linked to Osama
bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
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- At least 50 people died last year in suicide bomb attacks
on housing compounds in Riyadh and on Tuesday suspected Muslim militants
killed four Saudi police officers at checkpoints soon after security forces
defused two car bombs in the capital.
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- "The U.S. government has received recent and credible
information indicating that extremists are planning further attacks against
U.S. and Western interests," the State Department said in a travel
warning.
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- "The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to
defer travel to Saudi Arabia. Private American citizens currently in Saudi
Arabia are strongly urged to depart," it added.
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- "We are concerned. The threat level has gone up,"
Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters.
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- Washington has repeatedly moved to reduce its diplomatic
presence in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, and then allowed
diplomats and family members back in response to the ebb and flow of threats
over the past year.
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- On Feb. 20, it announced it had allowed all workers and
family members to return to the kingdom. On Thursday, the State Department
repeated past warnings that residential compounds in Riyadh and the rest
of the country continue to be targeted.
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- A U.S. intelligence official said the latest move was
unrelated to the broadcast of an audiotape purportedly by Saudi-born bin
Laden offering a truce to Europeans if they withdrew troops from Muslim
nations, but vowing to continue fighting the United States and Israel.
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- The State Department's expected decision is connected
to "terrorist threats in Saudi (Arabia). Potential attacks against
(Western) diplomatic compounds. Car bombs, truck bombs," the official
said on condition of anonymity.
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- In a "warden message" sent to U.S. citizens
in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the embassy also cited continued threats to
diplomatic facilities and housing compounds in the Saudi capital and urged
Americans to be vigilant.
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- The U.S.-Saudi alliance, built on the twin pillars of
security and oil, has been strained since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked
plane attacks on New York and Washington carried out by al Qaeda. Most
of the hijackers were Saudis.
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- U.S. officials initially complained they were not getting
enough cooperation from Riyadh on fighting al Qaeda, but they say Saudi
efforts have increased dramatically since car bombs on May 12 ripped apart
three Riyadh housing compounds and killed 35 people, including eight Americans.
(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria in Washington and Dominic Evans
in London)
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- © Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
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