Americans die in Saudi Arabia Suicide bombers attack residences after shooting way into compounds

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Attackers shot their way into three housing compounds in the Saudi capital, then set off suicide car bombs, killing at least 20 people in a coordinated terror strike that had "the earmarks of Al-Qaida," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said today.
Powell, who arrived today on a previously scheduled visit, reported after being briefed by U.S. Ambassador Robert Jordan that at least 10 Americans were killed.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said overall casualties appear to be in the hundreds and that several members of the Saudi National Guard died in the attacks. He also said British, German, French, Australian and other Arab citizens were among the dead and wounded.
The attacks late Monday were followed by a smaller bombing today near the headquarters of a Saudi-U.S. company. No casualties were reported in that bombing.
Large loss of life
Australian authorities said a 39-year-old from Sydney who worked for a computer company in Riyadh was among the dead. The toll was also expected to rise, with Powell saying, "There was a large loss of life of others."
Saudi officials told The Associated Press at least 50 wounded people were taken to the National Guard Hospital. Other hospitals reported at least 10 injured.
A guard at one of the compounds in the northeastern section of the city was quoted by the Saudi paper al-Watan as saying that seven cars exploded there, all apparently carrying suicide bombers. At least three bodies could be seen lying on the ground at the compound this morning.
Witnesses at the al-Blaidh compound said the force of the blast shook nearby buildings and rattled windows. Witnesses also reported hearing gunfire moments before the car exploded.
Prince greets Powell
Powell was greeted on his arrival by Prince Saud, the Saudi foreign minister, who expressed his sorrow and vowed to cooperate with the United States in fighting terrorism.
"These things happen everywhere," Saud said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Powell said the bombings "had the earmarks of Al-Qaida." Al-Qaida is known for suicide bombings and for coordinated actions such as the Sept. 11 attacks and the 1998 simultaneous car bombings outside American embassies in Kenya and neighboring Tanzania that killed some 230 people.
An intelligence official in Washington said information from the past two weeks indicated Al-Qaida had been planning a strike in Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and home to Islam's holiest sites.
The presence of U.S. troops on Saudi soil has been a major concern to the Saudi government, stoking anti-American sentiments among the people. Bin Laden has repeatedly railed against the presence of what he calls "infidel" troops on Muslim holy land.
Last week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said most of the 5,000 U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia would leave by the end of summer.
Weapons cache
The Saudi Interior Minister, Prince Nayef, told local newspapers the assailants were believed to be linked to the May 6 discovery of a large weapons cache.
The government was seeking 19 suspects in that case -- including 17 Saudis, a Yemeni, and an Iraqi with Kuwaiti and Canadian citizenship -- that it believed were receiving orders directly from bin Laden. The government said the group had been also planning to use the seized weapons to attack the Saudi royal family as well as American and British interests.
State Department officials said the American school in Riyadh would be closed today and advised Americans to remain at home until further notice. Earlier this month, it had advised Americans against traveling to Saudi Arabia because of increased terrorism concerns.
Some 35,000 U.S. citizens live in Saudi Arabia.
The wealthy gated communities that were attacked Monday were all in the same area and house corporate executives and other professionals from many countries.
Justice Department and FBI officials had no immediate indication that other attacks might be planned against U.S. interests at home or abroad.
Turned himself in
Prince Nayef told the al-Watan newspaper that one of the 19 people sought in the cache case handed himself in -- it was unclear when -- and was being interrogated for information about Monday's explosions. So far he had offered "limited information," Nayef told the paper.
A U.S. embassy official said Monday's blasts were set off in the same northeast section of the city where the May 6 weapons seizure was made.
A previously unknown Saudi group, the Mujahedeen in the Arabian Peninsula, had linked itself to the cache found May 6 and over the weekend vowed on an Internet site to strike American targets worldwide. It was not clear whether the explosions in Riyadh were linked to the group.
John Crossley, a British telecommunications executive who was knocked out by the force of a blast and suffered cuts from glass from his shattered windows, was quoted as telling the Los Angeles Times that other villas were leveled by the force of the blast.
Crossley, speaking to the newspaper in a telephone interview, said a carload of men in a car shot their way into the compound. He said guards gave chase through the streets until the attackers' car exploded.
"The fact that they have attacked three compounds in a coordinated way sends a message to the Western community that we are not safe here. It's like they're saying, 'We can get you any time, anywhere,'" Crossley was quoted as saying.
The small blast went off early today near the headquarters of the Saudi Maintenance Company, also known as Siyanco. The company is a jointly owned by Frank E. Basil Inc., of Washington, and local Saudi partners, officials said.
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