Al-Qaeda
claims attempt to blow up Saudi oil processing plant
AFP
RIYADH
Petroleumworld.com
02 26 06
The Saudi branch of the Al-Qaeda terror network has claimed responsibility
for Friday's foiled attempt to blow up a major Saudi Arabian oil
processing plant.
"The heroic mujahedeen of the squadron of Sheikh Osama bin
Laden, god protect him, has successfully penetrated the oil and
gas refinery in the town of Abqaiq... where two car bombs were
able to enter," the 'Organisation of Al-Qaeda in the Arab
Peninsula' wrote in a statement on its website overnight Friday.
Saudi Arabia said earlier that it had foiled an attack against
its biggest oil processing plant, the first known attempt against
an installation in the world's top oil producer since a wave of
Al-Qaeda terror broke out.
The OPEC kingpin rushed to reassure markets that output was unaffected
by the thwarted attack on the world's largest oil-producing center
in the oil-rich Eastern Province which left at least four people
dead.
A security official told AFP that two security men and at least
two assailants were killed in the attempted suicide car bomb attack
on the complex.
The security men succumbed to serious wounds sustained while trying
to stop the attackers.
It was still not known if there were more than two people in the
two cars which attempted to penetrate the processing plant, the
official said.
The Saudi interior ministry earlier said the vehicles exploded
near the entrance of the facility.
The official told AFP that six workers of state oil giant Saudi
Aramco "sustained slight wounds from shrapnel."
According to oil sources, the attackers wore Aramco uniforms and
used cars painted in the company's colors for the attempted attack.
The vehicles "exploded near the entrance and damage was limited
to a small fire which was brought under control.... Production
operations were not affected," an interior ministry statement
said.
"These plants contribute to the pillage of oil wealth from
the Muslims," the Al-Qaeda message claimed, vowing to publish
later details of the operations which it said were carried out
in the name of the fugitive bin Laden, head of the Al-Qaeda terror
network, and hailing the two "martyrs".
"This operation is in line with operations carried out by
Al-Qaeda in its war against the Christians and Jews to stop their
pillage of Muslim riches and as part of a campaign to chase them
out of the Arab peninsula," read the website message, the
authenticity of which could not be confirmed.
"These heroes are an honourable model for the youth of Islam
in the Arab peninsula. There are many more. They burn with impatience
to fight the enemies of Allah among the Jews, the Christians and
their servile allies in apostate governments. They share the sufferings
endured by their Muslim brothers in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq
and elsewhere."
In a December 2004 audio message, bin Laden called on his supporters
to attack oil installations, "in particular in Iraq and in
the Gulf".
Saudi Arabia, which sits on a quarter of global oil reserves,
currently pumps around 9.5 million barrels of oil per day and
has an output capacity of 11 million bpd.
Since a triple suicide bomb attack here in May 2003, security
forces have meted out severe blows against supporters of bi Laden,
the Saudi-born founder of Al-Qaeda, leading the Saudi authorities
to announce that the Saudi branch of the terror network had been
decapitated.
At least 90 civilians, 54 security personnel and 125 militants
have now died since the unrest began, triggering a relentless
crackdown by security forces on suspected extremists. Hundreds
more have been wounded.
While the firm security action has led to a lessening of the number
and intensity of Al-Qaeda operations in Saudi Arabia, the group
has not been wiped out in the country.
Last June a new list of 36 terrorist suspects was published, many
of whom were just in their twenties, portraying the threat Riyadh
faces from a new generation of activists.
In December 2003 the Saudi authorities had publised a similar
list of 26 men suspected of Al-Qaeda links, nearly all of whom
were subsequently captured or killed.
World oil prices leapt on news of Friday's attempted attack. New
York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April,
soared 2.37 dollars to 62.91 dollars per barrel in closing trading
after spiking as high as 63.25 dollars.
AFP
02 25 06
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