Saudi forces combed the kingdom yesterday for suspected al-Qaeda militants who killed 22 civilians and took dozens of foreigners hostage in a daring attack on its globally vital oil industry.
Security forces set up nationwide checkpoints after three gunmen, using hostages as human shields, escaped Saudi commandos who stormed a residential compound in the eastern oil city of Khobar on Sunday to end a 25-hour siege.
All the hostages who had not been killed were freed.
The kingdom is the world's largest crude oil exporter and state-owned giant Saudi Aramco vowed to keep supplies flowing smoothly in a bid to avert a hike in already-high world oil prices.
The Interior Ministry said a total of 41 people had been held hostage and 201 trapped inside the compound. A Saudi diplomat said nine hostages were killed during the stand-off.
Rescued hostages said none of the civilians had been killed by security forces and one of the staff at the complex said Saudi forces let the gunmen out after they threatened to blow up themselves and their captives.
An Internet statement purporting to come from al-Qaeda said Osama bin Laden's network had carried out the assault and the unprecedented hostage-taking, which raised the stakes in the battle Saudi Arabia has waged with the group for a year.
The bloodbath began on Saturday when gunmen in military garb opened fire on the Al-Khobar Petroleum Center building, housing offices of major Western oil firms, before storming into compounds containing oil services offices and employees' homes.
"There were pools of blood, blood is everywhere," said a member of the staff at the upmarket Oasis compound, adding that freed hostages told him there had been more than four attackers.
The hotel where the foreign hostages were held was still sealed off after the siege and security forces were searching for explosives the militants might have left behind.
Bullet-holes, blood stains, shattered glass, empty cartridges and grenades were evidence of the havoc, he said.
A hostage heard the gunmen shouting that they would release their captives if the security forces let them go, the compound employee said.
"The security forces refused at the beginning but then apparently relented," he said. "There was a kind of a deal reached to let the hostages go free, though some hostages had already been killed."
The Interior Ministry said in a statement three gunmen escaped but that Saudi forces wounded and captured their leader.
Arab residents had said the gunmen asked them if they were Muslim or Christian before targeting the Christians.
"It happened very quickly. It's difficult to recall it all. I locked the front door and I heard some shots," said Diane Reed, an American shot in the legs when the militants first stormed the complex on Saturday.
She was at al-Saad hospital where she underwent two surgeries.
The ministry listed the total death toll in the attack as an American, a Briton, an Italian, a South African, a Swede, eight Indians, two Sri Lankans, three Filipinos, an Egyptian boy and three Saudis. It said 25 people were injured.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College