VDH's Private Papers::

November 10, 2004
Letter #2 from Saudi Arabia
R.F. Burton
Private Papers

"R. F. Burton" is the pseudonym of an American who has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for many years.

The last spell of tranquility lasted longer than usual. Aside from a hand-grenade attack on the Seder Compound, accompanied by the staccato of machine-gun fire, the realm has been free from disturbance since mid September. That was when Edmund Muirhead-Smith was shot four times point-blank, twice in the chest, twice in the head, in the parking lot of a Max store in an eastern suburb of Riyadh. He was 55. He worked for Marconi. His only crime was he was British.

The terrorists had shifted from full-scale attacks on compounds to "one-offs," shooting Westerners in parking lots, outside banks and shopping centers. Naturally, Westerners stopped shopping, and hunkered down in their compounds.
Calm gradually returned. The lumbering ogre of fear appeared to have wandered elsewhere. Quotidian life began to slip back into its usual somnolence. The Saudi government claimed progress in subduing the "deviant group" terrorizing the Kingdom. Tension subsided. Expatriates ventured out of their walled compounds. Retailers rejoiced. Some brave souls even risked an occasional cafe latte at Starbuck's. Life seemed good again.

On October 27, the Canadian Embassy e-mailed the following to its citizens abiding in Saudi Arabia:

The Embassy has received various reports indicating that car bombings or other terrorist activity could occur sometime between today, October 27 and the end of Ramadan in Riyadh, Jeddah or in other cities in Saudi Arabia.

Canadians should continue to take all possible security precautions and should avoid large gatherings, crowded places, shopping malls, open markets, restaurants, pedestrian promenades, and other public areas frequented by foreigners. Canadians are further advised to be extra general vigilant for the duration of Ramadan.

The following day the U.S. Embassy e-mailed the following warning to its citizens:

Due to targeted attacks against American citizens, resulting in deaths, injuries and kidnapping, and the continuing serious threat to their safety while in Saudi Arabia, the Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to defer travel to Saudi Arabia. Private Americans currently in Saudi Arabia are strongly urged to depart.

Although counter-terrorism efforts have succeeded in diminishing terrorist capabilities in Saudi Arabia, terrorist groups continue to target housing compounds, hotels, methods of transportation, and commercial establishments where Westerners can be found. Saudi Government facilities are also targets. In addition to car bombs and armed assaults involving multiple gunmen against such facilities, terrorists have also used ambush attacks to kidnap and/or assassinate individual Westerners.

American citizens who choose to visit or remain in Saudi Arabia are strongly urged to avoid staying in hotels or housing compounds that do not apply stringent security measures including, but not limited to, the presence of an armed guard force, inspection of all vehicles, and a hardened security perimeter to prevent unauthorized vehicles from approaching the facility. American citizens are further advised to exercise caution when visiting commercial establishments frequented by Westerners. American citizens are also advised to exercise caution while driving, entering or exiting vehicles.

On the way to work my Filipino driver told me roadblocks were set up at night across the capital. Police were armed with machineguns. Helicopters crisscrossed the moonlit sky.

At work I ran into Mehdi, a Brit-born Pakistani who lives in the same compound where I live. Not looking British, he has the advantage of going out in public without drawing undue attention to himself.

"Something's definitely going on," Mehdi said dreamily. Like all Muslims fasting during Ramadan, he has a faraway, otherworldly look.

"Last night when I was out, police were everywhere. There was even a police roadblock in front of our compound. Special Forces. When I left the compound, all the soldiers had their helmets and bullet-proof vests on, and they were carrying machineguns."

In the beginning of Ramadan the soldiers usually are relaxed, even jovial. They seldom wear their helmets and never their body armor. Most of the time you never even see them.

"And the tank," Medhi said, "They moved it in front of the guardhouse. I've never seen it there before."

The next day my driver told me even more police and helicopters were out. Security forces blocked the entire street in front of Seder Compound. "No more cars can go that way anymore."

The cache included a large quantity of explosives, 33 bombs, hand grenades, machineguns, launchers, communication devices and different currencies. The weapons find fed the rumor mill of other terrorists being arrested, other weapons being found.

In an attempt to calm the nervous, the Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Mansour al-Turki said, "The security situation in Saudi Arabia is excellent and that is being felt by citizen and residents alike."

Perhaps, as Brigadier General Mansour al-Turki says, the security situation is excellent. Perhaps the Canadian and American Embassies are wrong in their assessment. Either way the Special Forces were back in front of the compound when I came home from work this afternoon. Helmets were on, machineguns were out. Either way I'm hunkering down in my compound, waiting for the end of Ramadan and the ogre to wander away