A top U.S. official secretly visited Saudi Arabia last Saturday to ask Saudi officials to immediately improve security at at least one of the Riyadh housing compounds that was struck by terrorist attacks two days later, a senior administration official told CNN Wednesday. The official said Deputy National Security Adviser Steve Hadley traveled to Saudi Arabia over the weekend and, after sharing U.S. intelligence suggesting a terrorist attack was imminent, he requested “a strong visible security presence” designed to deter any such strikes. Monday, three compounds housing Americans and other Westerners were hit by suicide terrorists using vehicles filled with explosives. Twenty-five people were killed, including eight Americans. Nine suicide bombers also died in the attack. A Bush administration source said Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and Interior Minister Prince Nayef were participants in the Saturday meeting with Hadley. The senior administration official said Hadley’s trip lasted just a day and that Saudi officials said that they would take the information under advisement. Full Story
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