Muslims worldwide are the main perpetrators of terrorism, a humiliating and painful truth that must be acknowledged, a prominent Arab writer said today, as Middle East media and officials registered their horror at the bloody rebel siege of a Russian school.

NEARLY two million Muslims jostled to "stone Satan" yesterday, a day after 251 pilgrims died here carrying out the same ancient ritual, provoking orders from King Fahd to modernise the holy sites of Mecca and Medina where tragedy strikes with terrible regularity.

The United States upgraded its security warning for Saudi Arabia today, restricting its diplomatic staff to the diplomatic quarters of their cities for all but essential duties.