Hours before a visit by the American secretary of state, attackers shot their way into three gated compounds housing Westerners in Saudi Arabia’s capital and set off car bombs. At least three people were killed and about 60 injured, officials said.
The string of attacks occurred in quick succession Monday night, capped by a fourth explosion early Tuesday outside the headquarters of a joint U.S.-Saudi owned company in Riyadh.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that three people were confirmed dead but gave no other details.
U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Robert Jordan, told CNN that 40 of the injured were Americans and said there were unconfirmed reports “of a couple of American deaths.”
Hospital officials in Riyadh told The Associated Press that at least 50 wounded were taken to the National Guard Hospital, and other hospitals reported at least 10 injured and one dead.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was expected to arrive in Riyadh on Tuesday as scheduled, according to American officials in Amman, Jordan.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but American officials said they suspected Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist network.
“[Al Qaeda] is certainly a prime suspect, I would say,” Jordan said on CNN.
