2000 On 17 November, in central Riyadh at the junction of Oruba/Olaya road, a car bomb killed British national Christopher Rodway and injured his wife Jane. The bomb was placed underneath his vehicle and detonated as it approached a traffic signal. The following week on 22 November, in Riyadh close to the
RSAF HQ, a car bomb detonated on a vehicle driven by British national Steve Coughlan. Although the driver and his three passengers were injured, all survived the attack. Less than one month later on 15 December in
Al Khobar, a small
IED in a juice carton left on the vehicle (in the parking lot of the Souks Supermarket – now Panda) of British national David Brown exploded as he attempted to remove it. Brown survived but lost his sight and part of his right hand.
2001 On 10 January, a small bomb exploded outside the Euromarche supermarket in Riyadh. There were no casualties. A bomb placed in a waste bin outside the Jarir bookstore on Oleya Road in central Riyadh on 15 March injured British national Ron Jones. Jones, American Charles Bayar, and Canadian David Soni, all employees of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), were taken from hospital and arrested by Saudi authorities. During detention, Jones was subjected to torture to extract a 'confession' before being released without charge after 67 days. Soni was treated similarly, and released along with Jones. Unable to work due to their harsh treatment in detention, Jones and Soni left Saudi Arabia soon thereafter. Bayar was held in solitary confinement, was closely interrogated but not tortured, did not sign any confession, and was released after 11 days without charge after the U.S. State Department (through the behind-the-scenes efforts of Bayar's wife Julia, a former Washington DC lobbyist, which secured the intercession of Bayar's local U.S. congressman and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a West Point classmate of Bayar's) issued a formal demarche to the Saudi Government demanding consular access to Bayar. He returned to work at SABIC but left Saudi Arabia without authorization in January 2002 to resume his law practice in New York. On 3 May, an American doctor Gary Hatch received injuries to his face and hands after opening a parcel bomb in his office in Al Khobar. On the eve of the U.S. strike on Afghanistan on 6 October, a pedestrian suicide bomber (who Saudi authorities claim to have been a Palestinian dentist) killed a 33-year-old American employee of
Halliburton from Duncan, Oklahoma: Michael Jerrald Martin, outside the popular Metropolitan Store (Mushiri Trading) in Al Khobar. An American co-worker, Keith Maples, was also injured, as well as one Briton and two Filipinos. 15 November an acid-filled bottle was thrown at the car of a German family in Riyadh. Some of these men were sentenced to death, but were spared.
Alleged Western involvement For all the attacks on Westerners in Saudi between November 2000 and May 2003 there is no public statement of any investigation or prosecution, except for the Saudi accusations against 'alcohol traders', a small group of western expatriates, mainly British, who Saudi authorities claimed were fighting a turf war over the illegal distribution of alcohol and were behind the car bombings. All of those involved in the 'alcohol trade' were arrested and detained. The suspects were well-paid professionals with no prior record of violent crime. The Saudi
Mabahith investigators of the crimes provided no forensic evidence against them, showed no interest in alcohol trading in their interrogation of suspects and in charges brought against detainees, and attacks of a very similar nature on western nationals continued despite the arrests of the alleged perpetrators. On 5 June an Australian was shot at by a sniper in Tabuk. On 29 June, a car bomb placed on the vehicle of an American couple in Riyadh was disarmed by Saudi authorities. On 29 September, a car bomb killed German national Max Graf in central Riyadh.
2003 In early February a gunman fired at an Australian expatriate in Khamis Mushayt. A Saudi was killed on 18 March in an explosion at a villa in the Al-Jazira district of Riyadh where police uncovered a cache of arms and explosives. It is believed that he was manufacturing a bomb at the time. On 1 May, a Saudi dressed in Saudi naval uniform penetrated an American base and killed an American before getting away unhurt. In both 2003 bombings of compounds, bombers wore uniforms of security forces.
2004 After the Muhaya bombing, militants either halted or were prevented from committing their attacks. Security forces continued their raids and arrests. On 21 April, a car bomb struck a building originally used by the Saudi police, killing five and injuring 148. This marked the start of a new campaign by the militants. On 1 May, the
2004 Yanbu attack left six Westerners and a Saudi dead. One victim was tied to a car and dragged through the street. On 22 May,
German chef Hermann Dengl was shot to death in Riyadh at an
automated teller machine by Panda exit 10. On 29–30 May, the militants staged one of their bloodiest attacks,
killing 22 and injuring 25—mainly foreign workers—in the oil-industry town of
Khobar. The four gunmen took dozens hostage, attacking three buildings over a 25-hour period—including the Oasis compound, which houses the employees of foreign oil companies. According to witnesses, they separated
Christian and Muslim workers they found and shot the Christians. Of those killed, 19 were foreign civilians, three were Saudis. As in the Yanbu attack one (foreign) victim was killed by being tied to the back of a vehicle and dragged through the street. Three of the four gunmen escaped. On 6 June, gunmen shot and killed an Irish cameraman of the
BBC,
Simon Cumbers, and also wounded reporter
Frank Gardner. On 8 June, American Robert Jacobs of
Vinnell Corp. was shot in his Riyadh
villa. Another American expatriate, Kenneth Scroggs, was shot to death by two gunmen outside his home in Riyadh on 13 June, and an American working for
Lockheed Martin,
Paul Marshall Johnson, was kidnapped at a fake police checkpoint in Riyadh. On 18 June, Johnson was reported
beheaded in a
video released to the news media. On the same day, Saudi security forces killed
Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin, at that time the country's most wanted man. On 3 August, Anthony Higgins, an
Irish expatriate, was shot and killed at his desk at the Saudi-owned Rocky for Trade and Construction company, in the Al Rawda district of Riyadh. The attackers' use of silencers on the pistols led investigators to believe it was an act of premeditated murder and not simply an act terrorism aimed indiscriminately at the expatriate community. Tony, who had worked in the Kingdom for almost 25 years, had been an active member of Saudi Arabia's underground church and although unconfirmed, most who knew him, believe he was gunned down for his impassioned but indiscreet efforts to spread the Christian faith within Saudi Arabia. On 15 September, Edward Muirhead-Smith, a British man working for
Marconi, was shot to death in his car outside a supermarket in Riyadh. On 26 September,
Frenchman Laurent Barbot, an employee of a defense electronics firm, was shot to death in his car in
Jeddah. On 6 December, militants staged perhaps their most brazen attack, the storming of the American
consulate in Jeddah with explosives and machine guns. They breached the compound's outer wall and fought their way into the complex killing four security guards and five staff, taking 18 staff and visa applicants hostage. Saudi security forces stormed the building, killing three attackers, and then proceeded to wound and arrest two others. Among the killed were a
Yemeni, a
Sudanese, a
Filipino, a
Pakistani and a
Sri Lankan—all employees of the consulate. About ten others were wounded. On 29 December, suicide car bombs exploded outside of the Saudi Interior Ministry and the
Special Emergency Force training center, killing a passerby and wounding several others. Though damage to each building was incurred, the attacks did not result in large-scale casualties, and was the last significant attack of the insurgency. Two suicide bombers were killed.
2005 Saudi security forces made a great deal of successes against insurgents. Many militants were captured and several killed, many by American forces in
Iraq. One of these,
Saleh al-Oufi, who was killed on 18 August. Saudi security forces and Al-Qaeda cell members waged a three-day gunfight starting 3 April in the town of Al-Ras in the Qassim region. Security men killed 14 militants, wounded six others and captured three. Among the dead were Saud bin Hommoud Al Quatii, a weapons smuggler, explosives expert and Afghanistan veteran, and Kareem Al Tihami Idriss Al Mejjati, a Moroccan extremist suspected of bombings in Casablanca. Other slain militants included ani Bin Abdullah Al Joaithen, a suspect in the Al-Muayya residential compound bombing in Riyadh in November 2003; Faisal bin Muhammad Al Baidhani, an explosives expert responsible for the December 2004 bombing of the Ministry of Interior building and emergency forces headquarters; Majed bin Muhammad Al Masoud, Fawaz Mufdi Al Anazi, Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah Al Jarboue, Nawaf bin Naif Al Hafi and Abdussalam bin Suleiman Al Khudairy. On 28 December, Saudi security services killed Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailemi and Abdul Rahman ibn Salen Al-Miteb in separate incidents. In the morning, Al-Miteb was stopped by two policemen and opened fire, killing both. This set off a running firefight, during which three other policemen were killed. Automatic weapons, grenades, forged documents, and almost half a million riyals in cash were also seized. Despite these successes, foreign governments still have travel warnings in effect for Saudi Arabia.
2006 While attacks by militants have decreased dramatically since late 2004, violent incidents still occasionally occur. On 24 February, two explosive-laden cars tried to enter the
Abqaiq oil plant, the largest such facility in the world and producer of 60% of Saudi Arabian oil. Both cars exploded when fired upon by guards, killing the two bombers and two guards. A successful attack could have seriously crippled oil production. In June, six militants and a policeman were killed in a gun battle in Riyadh.
2007 On 4 February, Saudi security forces arrested ten people suspected of fundraising for "suspicious groups" outside of Saudi Arabia that engage in terrorism. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said seven Saudi citizens and one foreign resident were arrested in
Jeddah while two Saudi citizens were arrested in Medinah. Al-Turki went on to say, "We know of the group's activity as a whole but we also need to define the role of each of the arrested members." The Interior Ministry issued a statement saying, "Security forces, in the framework of their efforts to fight terrorism and its funding have arrested a group of suspects believed to be responsible for collecting donations illegally and smuggling the money to suspicious groups that use it in deceiving the sons of this nation and dragging them to disturbed areas." In March, lawyers for some of the accused defended their clients by stating they were simply peaceful reformists. A petition was delivered to King Abdullah asking that he consider a constitutional monarchy, and was signed by 100 prominent business leaders and academics. On 26 February, suspected militants attacked a group of nine
French citizens who were returning from the historical site of
Madain Saleh in the northwest of Saudi Arabia. The group, traveling in three vehicles had been looking for remnants of the
Hejaz railway track and had apparently stopped for a rest approx 10 km north of Madinah when three assailants traveling in a 4x4 vehicle stopped then singled out and shot all four males in the group. Two died at the scene, a third en route to hospital and the fourth, a 17-year-old boy, died the following day after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet from his lung. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. On 7 March, authorities announced the arrest of several suspects and stated that they were hunting two named individuals in connection with the attack. On 6 April, security forces were involved in a gunbattle with militants at a property 20 km outside
Madinah. One of the militants, a Saudi national named as Waleed Ibn Mutlaq Al Radadi, was killed in the shootout. One police officer was also killed and several were injured. Al Radadi had appeared on a list of 36 most-wanted terrorists in 2005. An Interior Ministry spokesman said that the shootout was linked to an investigation into the killings of the French expatriates in February. On 19 April, Saudi authorities announced the arrest of eight people who had allegedly aided and abetted in the killings of the French expatriates in February. They also stated that Al Radadi had been the mastermind behind the killings. On 27 April, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced the arrest of 172 terrorist suspects in a series of raids on seven cells in the Kingdom in an operation lasting several months. The largest of the cells numbered 61 members. Unprecedented amounts of explosives and weapons of various types were uncovered after being buried in the desert. Also recovered was over $US5 million in cash. Some of the cells had trained as pilots and planned attacks on military and oil installations as well as the assassinations of high-profile individuals. Most of the suspects were said to be Saudi nationals. On 28 November, security forces arrested 208 terrorist suspects across the country.
2009 On 28 August, A suicide bomber blew himself up in Jeddah during a Ramadan gathering that included Prince
Mohammed bin Nayef, head of the security services. It was the first attempt on the life of a royal since the murder of
King Faisal in 1975. The prince was treated at a hospital and released.
2011 On 26 June 2011, In May 2014, a 62-person terror cell was discovered plotting to assassinate officials and attack government targets. The group was composed mostly of Saudi nationals, with links to
Al Qaeda (
AQAP) and the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). They had plenty of cash and a facility to make bombs,
IEDs and electronic jammers, together with large quantities of arms and explosives smuggled across the border from Yemen. 35 of the Saudis who were arrested had previously been detained for terrorism offences and released under the country's rehabilitation program. Another 44 members of the cell are believed to be on the run. The group was based in Abha, near the border with Yemen. On 4 July 2014, six people, including two security guards, were killed in a terrorist attack on the Wadi border post, a border crossing between Yemen and Saudi Arabia about 200 miles east of Najran. The next day, as the military was carrying out operations following the skirmish, two militants who were surrounded in a government building blew themselves up in a suicide explosion, according to a Saudi television channel report.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released a video of the attack on the border post and inside the Saudi town of
Sharurah. The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning to Saudi Arabia based on the attack, which also restricts prohibits U.S. government personnel from traveling within 50 miles of the Yemeni border without embassy permission, which includes the cities of Jizan and Najran.
2015 On 22 May 2015, a suicide bomber attacked the Imam Ali mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh, in
Qatif governorate during Friday prayers. The Saudi health minister told state television that at least 21 people had been killed and more than 80 injured in the blast.
IS later claimed responsibility for the attack. On 29 May 2015, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a Shiite mosque in
Dammam and killed four people. The bomber tried to enter the Mosque during Friday prayers and detonated his bomb in the parking lot after being stopped by security guards. On 6 August, the
2015 Abha mosque bombing, carried out by a suicide bomber, kills 17 people at a mosque in the south-western Saudi city of
Abha. On 26 October 2015, a suicide bomber murdered 2 people and wounded 26 in a Shia
Ismaili mosque in the southern city of
Najran. The bomber, a Saudi national who recently returned from fighting for IS in Syria, was blocked from entering the center of the mosque by a 95-year-old man, which limited the terrorist's death toll.
2016 On 8 February 2016, a carbomb exploded in Riyadh without causing injuries. IS claimed responsibility. The
2016 Saudi Arabia bombings killed four Police Officers outside the
Prophet's Mosque in Medina just before evening prayers and breaking of the fast, with co-ordinated bomb attacks also against the U.S. embassy in
Jeddah, and targets in
Qatif. The latter two attacks failed to cause any casualties.
2017 On 7 January 2017, two IS terrorists were killed by police in the Al Yasmin suburb of
Riyadh. The two men were named as Tayea Salem bin Yaslam Al-Sayari, wanted for previous acts of terrorism, and Talal bin Samran Al-Saedi, who had been released from the
Saudi terrorist rehabilitation program. The police officer who killed the terrorists, Cpl. Gibran Jaber Awagy (alternative spelling Jabran Awaji), was injured in the gun battle. On 9 March 2017, a police officer was killed by an IS member. Then the perpetrator was killed by the police.
2018 On 8 July 2018, a member of the Saudi Arabian security forces and a foreign citizen were killed when three armed men opened fire from a car at a checkpoint in Buraidah in the Saudi Arabian region of Al-Qassim. Two of the attackers were also killed and another injured in the ensuing gunfight. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
2019 In 2019, Saudi Arabia revoked the citizenship of
Hamza bin Laden, son of
Al-Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden. Hamza had become a prominent figure in the world of terrorism. In 2019, Saudi Arabia has been granted a full membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) becoming the first Arab country awarded this full membership. This was following the group's Annual General Meeting in Orlando. The group is responsible for designing and issuing standards and policies that face money laundering, terrorist financing. ==See also==