Saudis arrest bombing suspect

SAUDI ARABIA yesterday said it had arrested an alleged mastermind of the deadly suicide bombings in Riyadh along with four other suspects, as newspapers said all five were believed to be members of al-Qaida.

The US embassy warned that more terror attacks in the kingdom may be imminent after the three bombing attacks on May 12 at foreigners’ housing compounds in the capital Riyadh which killed 34 people, including eight Americans.

“Five people arrested yesterday are among the suspects in the Riyadh bombings and we believe one of them is a mastermind of the blasts,” a Saudi source said.

He said they were arrested in the Muslim holy city of Medina but could not confirm newspaper reports that they were members of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida guerrilla group, blamed for the September 11, 2001, attacks on US cities.

The daily Okaz said the five were arrested at an internet cafe and said the alleged mastermind was a Saudi who was among 19 men wanted by authorities on terrorism charges after a shootout with police in Riyadh this month. Another newspaper, al-Watan, said security forces confiscated three computers used by the suspects at the cafe.

Saudi and US officials blame al-Qaida militants for the Riyadh blasts, which were the first to indiscriminately target civilians in the oil-rich kingdom.

The US ambassador to Riyadh, Robert Jordan said yesterday Washington believed there was still a threat of more attacks in the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam and a US regional ally. “We are not convinced this threat is over,” Jordan told reporters at the US embassy in Riyadh.

Washington reopened its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia on Sunday after a four-day closure prompted by warnings of more attacks. US diplomats said the embassy was sending home around 30 non-essential staff as a precautionary measure.