Car bomb explodes outside Saudi housing compound

A car packed with explosives crashed late tonight into a Riyadh compound housing westerners, detonating and causing casualties, according to Saudi security officials.

The officials said the car crashed into a residential compound in the eastern part of the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.

The officials said the explosion caused an unspecified number of injuries. No details were available on the identities of the reported victims.

Police cars and ambulances were seen rushing to the explosion site.

The incident follows a warning issued by the US State Department earlier this month advising Americans to avoid travel to Saudi Arabia because of increased terrorism concerns.

On May 6, Saudi security forces seized a large cache of weapons and explosives in Riyadh as they were searching for a number of suspected terrorists, a ministry official said.

The official, quoted by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, said at least 19 men - including 17 Saudis, an Iraqi holding both Kuwaiti and Canadian citizenships, and a Yemeni – were being sought in connection with the terror plots.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of al-Qaida terror chief Osama bin Laden and home to 15 of the 19 September 11, hijackers.