At no time since Saudi oil was loaded onto a tanker in 1939 has the Saudi petroleum infrastructure been more threatened by Al-Qaeda?s (Group Profile) associated network. Terrorists, by attacking components of the Saudi petroleum infrastructure, multiply the threat, causing a ripple effect that impacts the global economy. The various components of the petroleum infrastructure are numerous and include oil fields, eight refineries, over 10,000 miles of pipelines, export terminals, oil storage facilities, oil tankers, industrial cities, and Saudi and Western oil workers.

The Saudi government has increased the number of security personnel and money spent on securing the petroleum infrastructure. But what instills the most fear is the targeting of Westerners. On May 1, 2004, Al-Qaeda attacked and killed six Westerners and a Saudi at the ABB Lummus facility in Yanbu (Terrorist Incident). Following the attack, all 90 Western employees left Saudi Arabia (Country Profile), and the price of oil increased US$0.80 per barrel. The Saudi?s have hardened security around critical oil fields and facilities. So far, terrorists have focused on softer targets and utilized suicide bombers and attackers.