Suicide bombers escaped earlier Saudi police swoop

Authorities confiscated their cache – hand grenades, five suitcases of explosives, rifles and ammunition, as well as computers, communications equipment and cash, but the 17 Saudis, a Yemeni, and an Iraqi with Kuwaiti and Canadian citizenship escaped.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain and a former Saudi intelligence chief, said: “The only information we have is that some of them were members of the group that was sought a few days ago, the 19 fellows whose pictures came out in the press.”

The interior minister, Prince Nayef, said the 19 men were believed to take orders directly from Osama bin Laden.

At that time, Nayef said al-Qaida was “weak and almost non-existent”.

But yesterday, Nayef, speaking to the daily Okaz, did not rule out the possibility of more attacks.

“I don’t rule out anything. We must not sit back and say this will not happen,” he said. “This is life, and incidents occur in every country and we are in a period of anxiety and terror acts. The kingdom is one of the countries being targeted.”

British Foreign Office minister Mike O’Brien said his gtovernment had been aware of a heightened threat in Saudi Arabia from the beginning of May.

He told the Sun: “We picked up information at the start of May and warned people that it seemed an incident was being planned.

“We couldn’t be sure of the nature of that attack and we gave what warning we could.”

According to reports, al- Qaida claimed responsibility in a message to an Arab newspaper in London, Al Majallah.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was in Saudi Arabia for an official visit hours after the blasts, said the attacks had “the fingerprints of al-Qaida”.

Meanwhile the US has ordered all non-essential diplomats and family members to leave Saudi Arabia.

The FBI said it would send agents to join the investigation as US President George W Bush vowed to find those responsible for the bombings.

In a speech yesterday, he said the blasts were the work of “killers whose only faith is hate” and vowed that “they will learn the meaning of American justice”.

Mr Bush said: “Today’s attacks in Saudi Arabia, the ruthless murder of American citizens and other citizens, reminds us that the war on terror continues.”

Scotland Yard was also sending a team of police officers to assist the Saudi police.

The attacks on three residential compounds took place at around 11.30pm on Monday night.

The explosions at a Saudi Maintenance Company, a joint venture between a US firm, Frank E Basil Inc and Saudi partners, occurred a short while afterwards.

The US State Department said eight Americans were killed.

Seven Saudis, two Jordanians, two Filipinos, one Lebanese and one Swiss also died, according to Saudi officials.

There are reports that the final death toll may reach as high as 50.

At least 194 people were injured in the attacks, including at least six Britons.

Many residents were asleep in bed when the gunmen stormed into three secure compounds for foreign workers, shooting at security guards, before igniting the explosives in their vehicles.

Five floors of buildings in one housing complex were blown out, their outer walls sheared off.

Heaps of rubble surrounded spikes of twisted steel, and burned out cars were still in their parking spots.

Emergency services rushed to the scene while shocked, frightened and injured people living in the compounds panicked as they surveyed the carnage.

The al-Hamra, Jadawal and Vinnell compounds – all within 10 miles of each other in north-eastern Riyadh, house mainly business executives, oil industry professionals and teachers.

Behind their 20ft walls women need not wear enveloping robes, American and European children ride their bikes in the street, and houses are decorated for Christmas and Halloween.

Eye-witnesses described how they heard gun fire before the blasts and hid or took cover in their fear and confusion at what was happening.

John Crossley, a British telecoms executive who was knocked senseless by the force of the blast in his compound and suffered cuts from shattered glass, said a carload of men shot their way in and the guards gave chase through the streets until the attackers’ vehicle exploded.

“The fact that they have attacked three compounds in a coordinated way sends a message to the Western community that we are not safe here.

“It’s like they are saying, ‘We can get you any time, anywhere’.”

Another British telecommunications worker caught up in attacks said he was fleeing the country in fear of further attacks.

Preferring to remain anonymous, he said: “I think a lot of the contractors are starting to go

"Other people are thinking about it, a lot of people are still in shock. I was until lunchtime when the fear took over and I thought, ‘I’m out of here’. I just need to get out of here to think straight.”

The wounded Britons included teacher Graham Bull, 58, from Manchester and schoolgirl Erika Rowe, 15, from Warrington.

“I hope those people who were responsible for these acts face the full weight of the law, and if they are men of religion, that when they depart this world that they are punished in the next world, too,”

said al-Hamra resident Mr Bull, who suffered minor injuries.

Prince Saud, the Saudi foreign minister, expressed his sorrow and vowed to cooperate with the US in its fight against terrorism.

The Foreign Office has warned British nationals against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the attacks and authorised the voluntary departure from the Middle Eastern kingdom of non-essential members of its staff.