echt veel info is er nog niet bekend. Kan op internet nog niet veel meer vinden dan wat hierboven staat.
Attack on U.S. Consulate in Jeddah
Al Qaeda suspected, U.S. official tells CNN
Monday, December 6, 2004 Posted: 6:10 AM EST (1110 GMT)
Smoke was seen rising from the U.S. Consulate compound.
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(CNN) -- The U.S. Consulate in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah came under attack Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said.
Saudi Arabian security forces said that an unknown number of hostages were being held inside the consulate, The Associated Press reported, though there was no immediate independent confirmation of this.
Four attackers remained inside, AP reported.
"There has been an attack on the consulate and the incident is still in progress," a spokesperson with the Embassy told Caroline Faraj, editor of CNNArabic.com. There were no immediate reports of U.S. casualties.
A senior Bush administration official told CNN's Andrea Koppel that there were reports of gunfire, an explosion and then more gunfire as the attack was launched around 11:15 a.m. (3:15 a.m. ET). He said al Qaeda is suspected in the attack.
According to the official, all Americans have been accounted for, but an unknown number were wounded. Because of the size of the Consulate compound, it was not immediately clear how many people were involved in the initial attack, he said.
The official said Saudi Interior Ministry Forces were combing the compound, and acting to secure it.
Smoke could be seen rising from the consulate, witnesses told CNN. Gunfire was also heard.
Journalist Khaled Al-Maeena of Arab News in Jeddah told CNN that helicopters and ambulances were in the area around the consulate.
He said that there were reports of shooting inside the compound and at least four non-American casualties, possibly to Saudi security forces. He said witnesses saw up to four gunmen involved in the initial attack.
Faraj said ambulances had been reported driving from the scene, suggesting there had been some casualties.
As a precautionary measure, the U.S. Consulate in Dhahran was closed, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh told CNN.
Nearly a year ago, the State Department authorized non-essential diplomats and families of U.S. officials to leave Saudi Arabia because of ongoing security concerns, and urged Americans to defer travel to the kingdom.
"The U.S. government continues to receive indications of terrorist threats aimed at American and Western interests, including the targeting of transportation and civil aviation," the travel warning from December 2003 said.
"American citizens in Saudi Arabia should remain vigilant, particularly in public places associated with the Western community."
It said Americans who "travel to, or remain in, Saudi Arabia despite this travel warning" should register with the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh or at the U.S. Consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran.
As recently as August, a vehicle from the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah was hit by gunfire from a single assailant while driving in the city.
The two occupants of the vehicle -- the driver and a consulate American employee, were not injured in the attack.
Al Qaeda-led suicide attacks struck Riyadh housing compounds in May and July of 2003, killing 40 people, most of them Muslims.
