This is the most vulnerable spot on the planet, in my opinion. When the oil
wells are blown up, the world economies will collapse.

It also points to the nearness of the Rapture!
 
 

NBC: 'Imminent' multiple al-Qaida attacks expected
NBC News and news services
Updated: 7:15 p.m. ET April  15, 2004WASHINGTON

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4750713/

The State Department ordered non-essential U.S. diplomats and all dependents
to leave Saudi Arabia because of security concerns Thursday and "strongly
urged" private U.S. citizens to do likewise.

U.S. officials told NBC News on condition of anonymity that the "authorized
departure" was decided upon because of intelligence indicating that the
al-Qaida terror network was planning to launch multiple strikes against U.S.
and other foreign targets in the desert kingdom.

The attacks, believed to be a series of truck and car bomb explosions,
appeared "imminent," they said. Although Saudi security forces have fought a
number of gunbattles against suspected al-Qaida cells in recent days,
operatives with instructions for the attacks could remain at large, the
officials told NBC's Jim Miklaszewski.

It was unclear whether the State Department's decision was related to the
broadcast of an audiotape purportedly by al-Qaida's leader, Saudi fugitive
Osama bin Laden, offering a truce to Europeans if they withdrew troops from
Muslim nations but vowing to continue fighting the United States and Israel.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is battling a wave of violence
believed to be linked to al-Qaida. At least 50 people were killed last year
in suicide bomb attacks on housing compounds in the capital, Riyadh.

Suspected Muslim militants killed four Saudi police officers Tuesday at
checkpoints along a road north of Riyadh shortly after security forces
defused two car bombs in the capital, a Saudi security source said.

Removal expected by end of week

"It's in the works," a U.S. official told Reuters, speaking of the expected
decision to order some Americans to leave again. "My expectation would be
before the end of the week."

A second official told Reuters that the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh had asked the
State Department for permission to send home people from the embassy, as
well as from the U.S. consulates in Dhahran and Jeddah.

"We have continuing credible information of threats against our facilities
and Western and American interests," the official said, declining to
elaborate.

In a "warden message" that was sent Tuesday to U.S. citizens in Saudi
Arabia, the embassy cited continued threats to diplomatic facilities and
housing compounds in the Saudi capital and urged Americans to be vigilant.

"The U.S. government continues to receive credible indications of terrorist
threats aimed at American and Western interests in Saudi Arabia, including
the targeting of diplomatic and other official facilities and residential
compounds in Riyadh," the message said.

Over the last year, Washington has repeatedly moved to reduce its diplomatic
presence in Saudi Arabia and then allowed diplomats and family members back
in response to the ebb and flow of threats. On Feb. 20, it announced that it
had allowed all workers and family members to return to Saudi Arabia.

The U.S.-Saudi alliance, built on the twin pillars of security and oil, has
been strained since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and
Washington carried out by al-Qaida. Most of the hijackers were Saudis.

U.S. officials initially complained that they were not getting enough
cooperation from the Saudis on fighting al-Qaida, but they said Saudi
efforts had increased dramatically since car bombs May 12 ripped apart three
Riyadh housing compounds and killed 35 people, including eight Americans.

NBC's Jim Miklaszewski and Andrea Mitchell and Reuters contributed to this
report.

Maranatha,
David
www.soundanalarm.net