Explosions rock central Riyadh
2004-04-21 15:09
Riyadh - At least two people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday when two car bombs exploded outside Saudi security headquarters, police said.
"The explosion resulted from two car bombs that were parked about 15m away from the building," a police official said. He said "a number of charred bodies" were carried away from the scene.
The General Security building, the administrative headquarters of Saudi security, was severely damaged by the explosions, which came just days after a US warning of possible terror attacks.
The Foreign Ministry is located behind the General Security building, in al-Nassiriyah neighbourhood in central Riyadh.
The explosions, which occurred about 13:00, struck at an hour that workers would have been leaving their offices for the Saudi weekend.
Facades were torn off buildings at the site, revealing rooms ablaze. Cars parked nearby had been smashed by debris. Clouds of dust and black smoke rose from the building and settled over the neighbourhood.
Saudi television showed the General Security building, about seven floors, with its glass facade shattered and severe damage inside.
Fire brigades worked to extinguish the fires, and more than 20 ambulances had arrived at the scene. Two helicopters roved over the site of the explosion. Police cordoned off the area and evacuated the surrounding buildings.
The explosions came only days after Saudi authorities announced they had seized three booby-trapped SUVs that were loaded with a total of more than four tons of explosives and had apparently been abandoned by militants involved in a shootout with security forces.
The April 12 shootout in Riyadh left one suspected militant and one policeman dead. A manhunt ensued and the next morning, militants opened fire on police at a checkpoint in Riyadh, killing four police officers. Eight people were later arrested in connection with the shootouts.
The United States last week ordered the departure of nonessential US government employees and family members from Saudi Arabia.
It also urged private citizens to leave the kingdom, and the US Embassy in Riyadh issued an advisory warning of "credible indications of terrorist threats aimed at American and Western interests in Saudi Arabia."
- AP