ugnet_: THE RIYADH EXPLOSION- Per Aljazeera

[Edward Mulindwa]

Explosions rock Riyadh Sunday 09 November 2003, 1:36 Makka Time, 22:36 GMT    Three explosions have rocked a residential compound housing foreigners in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Details are still emerging from the scene but a Saudi journalist told Aljazeera that a shootout took place in the compound where the explosion occurred. Abd al-Rahman al-Lahim reported from the scene of the explosion and said there was a large fire in the compound where he heard three blasts. Al-Lahim added that the compound houses foreigners from various countries and said security forces have blocked off the area surrounding the compound, preventing people from entering. A Saudi security source said the blasts occurred about 10 km west of Riyadh at a compound used by Saudis and foreign workers. "A large explosion occurred at the Muhaya compound in western Riyadh," the source said, adding that it was near the capital's diplomatic quarter. A May attack on a compound left 35 people dead One Western diplomat also said the blast was heard near the diplomatic quarter in the Saudi capital Riyadh, a day after the United States warned of terrorist attacks and shut its missions in the kingdom. "I heard an explosion here in the diplomatic quarter. It sounded nearby," the diplomat told Reuters. It was not clear what had caused the blast which occurred a few minutes after midnight and shook windows in the capital. Other diplomats said there was one big explosion at about midnight, followed by two smaller ones 15 seconds apart. A US Embassy spokeswoman confirmed the explosion, but said it was not in the diplomatic quarter. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, and it wasn't known if there were any casualties. Another diplomat said he got a call from a friend who reported seeing smoke rising from a building on the other side of the diplomatic quarter near an area where the palaces of the royal family's senior princes are located. The US Embassy in Riyadh said on Friday that it had received "credible information that terrorists in Saudi Arabia have moved from the planning to operational phase of planned attacks in the kingdom." A May attack on western residential compounds in Riyadh killed 35 people, including the nine attackers. Since then, Saudi authorities have arrested hundreds of suspected fighters throughout the country. Aljazeera + Agencies                    The Mulindwas Communication Group "With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"             Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"