Saudi Arabia, acknowledging security lapses that sparked rare U.S. criticism, on Thursday intensified its hunt for the suspected al Qaeda perpetrators of suicide bombings that killed at least 34 people.
FBI agents were due to join the investigation into Monday’s triple car bombings that devastated Riyadh compounds housing mainly foreigners, killing at least seven Americans. Saudi Arabia, birthplace of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden , admitted to security errors as the White House told its Arab ally to deal with the fact that it has terrorists on its soil. The U.S. ambassador to Riyadh had earlier criticized Saudi Arabia for not responding swiftly enough to U.S. demands for tighter security at the complexes before they were bombed. The envoy, Robert Jordan, had also urged dependants to leave the kingdom, telling American residents: “This (Saudi Arabia) is a front in the war against terrorism. Women and children don’t belong on the battlefield.” Some 40,000 Americans live in Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter. Full Story
