TA-ATTACKS: Car Bombings in Riyadh, Numerous Casualties, Massive Co-ordinated Attack Thwarted

Two car bombings occurred at the Security Forces building in the al-Nassiriyah neighborhood of central Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At least 4 are confirmed dead and 148 injured.
The seven-story Security Forces building was consumed by fire as a result of the bombing and firefighters are trying to extinguish the blaze. The building is destroyed, most of the front side blown away from the ground floor up to the seventh.
Police received a tip that six car bombs were slated to go off in an apparent co-ordinated attack. Officials located and disarmed five, but were unable to reach the sixth and apparent seventh before it detonated.
Officials have blamed al Qaeda for the blasts.

Reuters

Al Arabiya is reporting that the body of the suspected suicide bomber has been recovered at the scene.

These reports come just hours after an apparent co-ordinated car bombing in Basra, Iraq.

Saudi Arabian officials have diverted at least five car bomb attempts in recent days, and the country has suffered a recent surge in terrorist attacks.

On Thursday, the US ordered the evacuation of its non-essential personnel from the kingdom, citing increased credible terror threats.

The Associated Press is reporting that this attack comes only days after the Saudi authorities confiscated three booby-trapped SUV's laden with explosives.

Related Stories:
Al Jazeera
Sky.com
MSNBC
Dallas Morning News (AP)
Reuters - Additional Info


[Edited on 22-4-2004 by Banshee]

[Edited on 4-22-2004 by Valhall]

Updated, brought to alert and bumped.

Al-Jazeera is confirming explosions in Riyadh - still no details.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - At least one person was killed in a car bomb explosion in the Saudi Arabian capital on Wednesday, according to the Al-Arabiya television network.

There was no confirmation of the toll, although witnesses in Riyadh reported a loud explosion in the city.

The explosion came from the vicinity of the General Security building, which is affiliated to the Interior Ministry, in al-Nassiriyah neighborhood in central Riyadh, the witnesses said.

Loud explosion rocks Saudi capital

according to CNN there were 6 bombs, 5 were defused.

An explosion has shaken the Saudi capital Riyadh but the cause of the blast is still unclear.
"I heard a strong blast and could see smoke," one witness said quoted by Reuters news agency.

Blast in Saudi capital

Strange the AP still has no news of the bombing.

I guess they got scooped by Reuters.

Dallas Morning News is AP. and added.

bump!

Originally posted by infinite
according to CNN there were 6 bombs, 5 were defused.

Seven, apparently.
They've determined there were two car bombs now. The police tip indicated 6 bombs were in place...I guess the tipster lied.

The footage of the building is astounding. The whole front of the building is just gone...

Originally posted by Banshee

The footage of the building is astounding. The whole front of the building is just gone...

The building looks eerily similar to the Mura Fed building in OK after the blast.

Khobar Towers



Murrah Building



Now this, same blast characteristics.



Anyone starting to see a pattern.....the symbolism etc? Murrah Annv was April 19th now this on the 21st 1+1(2) days later.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi militant followers of al Qaeda claimed responsibility for Wednesday's suicide bombing that targeted a security forces' headquarters in the capital Riyadh and vowed more bombings against government symbols...

..."This operation which broke your backs, you tyrants, is but one shade of the many shades of pain which we will make you taste, God willing, and revenge by bombings and assassinations and other means shall not stop," said the statement signed by the "martyrdom" unit of the brigades.

Addressing Saudi security forces, the group vowed to avenge the killing of several top wanted militants in the kingdom. "We will only heal our wounds through blessed jihad (holy war)."

The statement mentioned, among other militants, Khaled Ali Ali Haj, a Yemeni man believed to be a top al Qaeda operative in the kingdom who was shot dead by security forces in March.



www.reuters.com...;jsessionid=0J1VB3OQQD1MKCRBAEZSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=4903485§ion=news



Here's a story on Al-Haramain brigades from December 2003:

A small bomb exploded in a car in the capital Riyadh on Monday but caused no casualties in what security sources said was an apparent assassination attempt on a security forces major. "As part of its the plan to assassinate the infidel clerics and idolatry's soldiers, the al-Haramain Brigades declare its responsibility for the bombing in Riyadh," said a statement posted on an Islamist Web site often used by sympathisers of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

www.trackingthethreat.com...


[Edited on 22-4-2004 by AceOfBase]