USA: SAUDI ARABIA SAYS IT WILL "CRUSH" THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR RECENT SUICIDE BOMBING IN RIYADH WHICH CLAIMED AT LEAST 16 LIVES

Record ID: 189730

  • Title: USA: SAUDI ARABIA SAYS IT WILL "CRUSH" THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR RECENT SUICIDE BOMBING IN RIYADH WHICH CLAIMED AT LEAST 16 LIVES
  • Date: 14th November 2003
  • Summary: (U7) WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 14) (REUTERS) 1. SAUDI GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL ADEL AL-JUBEIR WALKING UP TO PODIUM 0.05 2. JOURNALISTS 0.08 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADEL AL-JUBEIR SAYING: "If the intention of the terrorists is to disrupt stability in Saudi Arabia they will not succeed. If the intention of the terrorists much less is to destroy the Saudi state they will not succeed. We will fight them with everything we have until we crush them. King Fahd has vowed to strike with an iron fist. Crown Prince has declared total war on them and our Minister of Interior recently said that the only language we will use to communicate with them is the language of the rifle and the sword. And so this will be, could be a long struggle but we are determined to wage it. We have the backing of our public, in fact our public demands it. And there can be no doubt in the outcome of this battle. We will win, god willing." 0.55 4. WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 1.01 5. SOUNDBITE (English) ADEL AL-JUBEIR SAYING: "That may very well be the case. The compound used to house employees from Boeing Corporation up until I believe five years ago. Most of these employees hailed from many different countries, including Europe and the United States and Arab countries. I don't know what the mindset of the terrorists was or if they made a mistake or not. But what I do know is that when you set up bomb making factories in Mecca, when you have booby-trapped Korans in Mecca, you're not targeting Americans. You're targeting Saudis and Arabs and Muslims. When you blow up a compound like this and you kill mainly, mostly Arabs and people from Muslim countries, it's evil, it's murder. And to say oh gee, we made a mistake we were trying to go after Westerners does not make it any better." 2.07 6. AL-JUBEIR AT PODIUM 2.13 7. ADEL AL-JUBEIR WALKING OUT 2.26 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 29th November 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA1XS7IRY2TN4YN9Q8IDW17VDUM
  • Story Text: Saudis say they will "crush" those responsible for Riyadh
    bombing, which may have mistakenly targeted wrong
    neighbourhood.


    A Saudi official in Washington said on Friday
    (November 14) that the Saudi government is determined to
    "crush" the individuals that planned the suicide bombing in
    Riyadh last Saturday (November 8) that killed at least 18
    people.

    Since the attack, the Saudi government has made strong
    statements about its determination to go on the offensive
    against al Qaeda. Adel al-Jubeir, foreign policy adviser to
    Crown Prince Abdullah, echoed that tough line.

    "If the intention of the terrorists is to disrupt
    stability in Saudi Arabia they will not succeed. If the
    intention of the terrorists much less is to destroy the
    Saudi state they will not succeed. We will fight them with
    everything we have until we crush them. King Fahd has vowed
    to strike with an iron fist. Crown Prince has declared
    total war on them and our Minister of Interior recently
    said that the only language we will use to communicate with
    them is the language of the rifle and the sword."
    "And so this will be, could be a long struggle but we
    are determined to wage it. We have the backing of our
    public, in fact our public demands it. And there can be no
    doubt in the outcome of this battle. We will win god
    willing," Jubeir said.

    Jubeir said the bombers may have made a mistake when
    they targeted an area with mostly Arabs.

    "That may very well be the case. The compound used to
    house employees from Boeing Corporation up until I believe
    five years ago. Most of these employees hailed from many
    different countries, including Europe and the United States
    and Arab countries."
    "I don't know what the mindset of the terrorists was or
    if they made a mistake or not. But what I do know is that
    when you set up bomb making factories in Mecca, when you
    have booby-trapped Korans in Mecca, you're not targeting
    Americans. You're targeting Saudis and Arabs and Muslims.

    When you blow up a compound like this and you kill mainly,
    mostly Arabs and people from Muslim countries it's evil,
    it's murder. And to say oh gee, we made a mistake we were
    trying to go after Westerners does not make it any better."
    The attack angered and shocked many Saudis, possibly
    more so than if it had targeted Americans. Jubeir blamed
    al-Qaeda for the attack and said al-Qaeda leader,
    Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, must be captured.


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