Eight killed in attack on US consulate

IN A bold attack yesterday Islamic militants threw explosives at the gate of the heavily guarded US consulate in Jiddah, then forced their way into the building and held civilians at gunpoint during which eight people were killed in the three-hour gun battle.

The Interior Ministry said three of the five attackers were killed, with the other two wounded and in custody.

Saudi security officials initially said four Saudi officers also died, but Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki later told The Associated Press that no officers were killed. He said one was seriously injured.

No Americans were killed or held at gunpoint, and just one American was slightly injured as consulate employees were rushed to a safe area in the compound as the attack began, a State Department official said.

It was the first major strike by militants inside Saudi Arabia since May and seemed a clear sign that the Saudi government’s crackdown on al-Qaida-linked extremists has not yet entirely succeeded.

President Bush said the attack showed “terrorists” are trying to intimidate Americans and force the United States to withdraw from Saudi Arabia and Iraq. “They want us to grow timid and weary in the face of their willingness to kill randomly, kill innocent people,” Bush said at the White House after a meeting with interim Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawer. “That’s why these elections in Iraq are very important.” Bush also thanked Saudi Arabia for quelling the attack and said more would be learned about who was behind it.

The Saudi Cabinet, following a session led by Crown Prince Abdullah, condemned the attack and reaffirmed “the Saudi kingdom’s determination to fight terrorism in all its aspects and to hunt down perpetrators.”

The attack prompted the US Embassy in Riyadh to urge thousands of Americans in the country to “exercise utmost security precautions.” Officials blamed the attack on a “deviant” group (their way of identifying al-Qaida extremists).

The attackers sneaked behind an embassy car that was entering the consulate through the gate, then lobbed hand grenades at guards to take control of the area, al-Turki told the AP.

He said the attackers also used grenades designed to create fires and send up heavy smoke. Plumes of black smoke could be seen rising in the air shortly after the attack.

After getting inside the compound’s outer security wall, the attackers seized about 18 people at gunpoint, said a senior Saudi official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Those held were mostly either in the area applying for visas, or employees who worked there, the official said.