RIYADH, 1 October — Expatriates are not the target of terrorist attacks, Intelligence Director Prince Nawaf said yesterday, a day after a German died in the latest of a series of mystery blasts to hit Westerners.
"There are no terror attacks against foreigners in our country. They (foreigners) are well looked after," Prince Nawaf told Al-Jazirah newspaper.
German W. Maxmilan Graf, 56, an employee of a private company, was killed in Riyadh when an explosion ripped through his Ford Mercury car on Sunday afternoon. A Western diplomat who witnessed the incident said the victim was "blown to pieces"
Prince Nawaf said the explosion was part of a feud and among people involved in illegal trade, a reference to alcohol. "What is happening is (part) of score settling and feuds between groups competing in illegal trade and immoral issues," Prince Nawaf said.
"These incidents and blasts cannot be attributed to any particular group or person," he added.
Deputy Governor of Riyadh Prince Sattam also ruled out any terror link to the explosion saying, "it was not politically motivated."
The German’s car was torn apart by the blast, which occurred at 4.26 p.m.near the Libyan and Turkmenistan embassies on Abdul Hamid Al-Katab Strret in Sulaimaniya district, an upper-class commercial and residential area.
The blast took place in northern Riyadh just 100 meters from where a car bomb killed a Briton two years ago. Christopher Rodway, 47, died and his wife, Jane, was slightly injured on Nov. 17, 2000. A car bomb also killed a Briton in June, and there was a similar blast in March 2001 that left one Briton dead and wounded several people. The authorities have indicated that the Westerners were implicated in a turf war between alcohol smugglers, but analysts cast doubts on the theory and believe the bombs do target the Western presence in the Kingdom.
US and British embassies and most other Western missions in Riyadh have urged their nationals to remain vigilant to the "growing concern that individuals may be planning terrorist actions." Westerners who are concentrated in the main cities and normally live in closed residential compounds are advised to "follow sensible security precautions particularly regarding vehicle security."
