Fears were growing last night that a bombing which killed at least 17 people in Saudi Arabia could herald a new wave of attacks by al-Qaida sympathisers throughout the Middle East.
Anonymous postings on Arabic websites over the last three to four weeks have hinted at “a wave of violence coming on quite a big scale”, Saudi dissident Saad al-Fagih said yesterday. Mr Fagih, who runs the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, added that the postings did not specify Saudi Arabia. “They mentioned big, multiple attacks ‘to harm the enemy’, as they say.” His view was echoed by Richard Armitage, the US deputy secretary of state, who arrived in Riyadh hours after the blasts. “I can’t say that last night’s attack was the only or the last attack,” he said. “My view is these al-Qaida terrorists – and I believe it was al-Qaida – would prefer to have many such events.” Full Story
