Al-Qaida vows more oil attacks

MANAMA, Bahrain - Al-Qaida on Saturday threatened more attacks onSaudi oil facilities, a day after an attempt to bomb the world'sbiggest oil processing complex showed the group still can strikeinside the kingdom.

A strike on the Abqaiq complex, near Saudi Arabia's easternPersian Gulf coast, could have been devastating. Nearly two-thirds ofthe country's oil flows through the facility for processing beforeexport.

Foiling the attack demonstrated Saudi Arabia's success in puttingtough security around the oil industry, the source of the royalfamily's wealth, oil analysts said.

Two suicide bombers in explosives-packed cars traded fire withpolice at a checkpoint before a gate in the first of three fencesaround the heavily guarded complex. One bomber collided with theclosed gate, exploding and blowing a hole in the fence, a seniorSaudi security official said.

The second bomber drove through the hole before police openedfire, detonating his car, the official added on condition ofanonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Witnesses reported that security forces traded fire with gunmenoutside the facility after the explosions and that a hunt forattackers continued for hours. Saudi officials have not reported thecapture of any assailants.

At least two attackers and two security guards were killed, thestate news agency reported. Eight foreign workers at the facility -all from South Asia - were wounded, a former Aramco employee told TheAssociated Press on condition of anonymity.

It was the first attack on Saudi Arabia's vital oilinfrastructure. The Saudi branch of al-Qaida, which claimed theattack, warned in an Internet statement Saturday that suicide bomberswill target more oil facilities.

"There are more like them who are racing toward martyrdom andeager to fight the enemies of God," the posting said. "You will seethings that will make you happy, God willing."

In a later statement, the group said it carried out the attack"based on the instructions of our leader, Osama bin Laden" andidentified the two slain suicide bombers as Abdullah Abdul-Aziz al-Tweijri and Mohammed Saleh al-Gheith.

It denied that the bombing was foiled and gave its own account ofthe attack. It claimed that Al-Qaida fighters overcame guards at thegate, killing three and forcing others to flee. The fighters thenopened the gate for a car that entered and blew up, it said, withoutspecifying what the blast targeted.

The authenticity of the statements could not be independentlyconfirmed.

Crude oil prices jumped by more than $2 a barrel on world marketsafter the attack. But Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi swiftly issuedassurances that the violence did not affect oil operations.

Analysts and diplomats said Friday's events were proof thatincreased security at oil installations has paid off for the Saudikingdom.

"It's a success story," said Fareed Mohamedi, head of countryanalysis at Washington-based PFC Energy. "It's a bit too close forcomfort, but it certainly shows that they can repel these types ofattacks."

Mohamedi said the Saudi government typically places remote sensorsin the desert surrounding oil complexes and several fences around thefacilities themselves. About 25,000 security personnel mancheckpoints on roads leading to the facilities and gates into thecompounds.

Saudi security forces have largely had al-Qaida's branch in thekingdom on the run over the past year, arresting hundreds ofsuspects. They killed or captured all but one of the top 26 militantson a most-wanted list issued in December 2003, then did the same with10 of the 15 on a second list issued in June.

Friday's attack was the first major strike since December 2004,when five gunmen attacked the U.S. Consulate in the Saudi port cityof Jiddah. Five consulate employees from the Middle East and Asia andfour attackers were killed. Ten people were wounded.

Analysts said it was too early to say if the Abqaiq bombingsignaled a new, aggressive campaign. But the choice of oil facilitiesshould increase concerns, they said.

"If the Saudi system goes down, then you will have a real problem,and for oil prices the sky is the limit," Mohamedi said. "You'reattacking the absolute heart of the world oil system."

Saudi Arabia holds over 260 billion barrels of proven oilreserves, a quarter of the world's total. It currently puts out about9.5 million barrels per day, or 11 percent of global consumption.