Saudi terror leader trained by al-Qaida

The leader of the group responsible for the terrorist outrage in Saudi Arabia in which 22 civilians died was al-Qaida-trained, it has emerged.

The gunman, who was wounded and taken prisoner on Sunday, was high on Saudi officials’ wanted list and a veteran of al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan, the BBC reported.

Saudi authorities ended the day-long hostage standoff when they stormed a hotel in a residential compound of Khobar on Sunday morning.

Three of the four attackers, who held up to 50 people hostage in the Oasis residential compound after attacking the offices of two oil companies, managed to flee and are still being hunted.

An offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terrorist network has claimed responsibility for the outrage.

It is suspected that the three escaped militants were allowed to go free as part of a deal to secure the hostages’ release, it was reported in The Times.

Fears were growing today that the deadly terror attack may hit the global economy by sparking further rises in oil prices.

Analysts said prices could climb this week as the killing of at least 22 civilians in oil-rich Khobar raises concerns about supplies from the world’s top crude exporter.