Evacuation Is Ordered for Most U.S. Diplomats in Saudi Arabia

[G_j]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A16049-2004Apr15?language=printer

Evacuation Is Ordered for Most U.S. Diplomats in Saudi Arabia

By Robin Wright and Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, April 16, 2004; Page A17


The United States yesterday ordered the evacuation of most U.S. diplomats and all U.S. family dependents from Saudi Arabia, and "strongly urged" all American citizens to leave because of "credible and specific" intelligence about terrorist attacks planned against U.S. and other Western targets, the State Department announced.

The intelligence included the discovery of truck and pipe bombs and the apprehension of at least two suspects in recent days, U.S. officials said late yesterday. The warning noted that Saudi security forces and heavily armed extremists recently engaged in serious clashes.

Some of the intelligence emerged during Saudi interrogations of the suspects. Saudi security forces are in hot pursuit of other suspected terrorists thought to be involved in the new terrorist plots, the U.S. officials added.

The State Department denied that the threat is directly related to the new tape from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, a Saudi renegade who was stripped of his citizenship in the early 1990s. But the new plots are tied to groups linked with past terrorist activity in the kingdom that has been blamed on bin Laden followers and sympathizers.

..more..

[sistersofmercy]

1. I believe civil war is brewing in Saudi n/t

[BiggJawn]

2. So we're gonna whack the Saudis BEFORE we take on Syria?

And before we have even an ILLUSION of order in Iraq?

These PNACERs don't know that when your mouth is so full you can't swallow, that's not the time to shove more in...

[NNN0LHI]

3. Looks like it n/t