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<Saudis, Americans Had Worked to Prevent Riyadh Attacks

Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service

U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Robert Jordan, during a later interview on the same program, confirmed the Saudi government's cooperation. "I think the crown prince and Prince Saud (al-Faysal) are sincere in their statements," Jordan said. However, he said, he was not completely satisfied with assistance from Saudi security forces. State Department officials had requested more security at Western housing complexes before the attacks and "would have preferred a quicker response" from the Saudis.

WASHINGTON – AFIS
American and Saudi intelligence and law enforcement officials had been concerned about an upcoming attack and "came close" to preventing it, the Saudi foreign minister said this morning.

"There was news everywhere, coming from everywhere that they were planning a major attack," Prince Saud al-Faysal said during an interview on NBC's Today show. "We had established a committee with the United States to oversee what we (could) do, both of us, to prevent this attack from happening.

"We came close," he added. "We came indeed very close to doing that. But unfortunately they were able to do their damage."

Al-Faysal put the number of dead from the three simultaneous attacks at 34, with another 194 injured, many seriously. U.S. State Department officials have said eight Americans were killed in the May 12 car bombings in residential areas with high concentrations of Westerners.

President Bush May 13 pledged the attackers would face justice. "It doesn't matter how long it takes; the war on terror goes on," he said while touring a tornado-devastated town in Missouri.

When asked by a reporter if al Qaeda, the terrorist group believed to be responsible for these attacks, had money available, Bush replied, "It doesn't take much money to put a car bomb together.
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2003 © U.S. Department of Defense.

Dan