JEDDAH, 24 April 2004 — Residents of Abdulrahman Bin Khurash Street finally left their homes this morning to survey the damage done to their neighborhood in yesterday’s shootout between suspected militants and security forces.
“At about 10.15 last night the shooting started just down the street,” said Ali Al-Gurni, 23, a nurse. “I watched it from my balcony near the building where the terrorists were holed up. It lasted about 30 minutes, during which time a hand-grenade was tossed at the soldiers. During the fighting I saw a security officer get shot, shout out in pain and fall to the ground. The other soldiers evacuated him right away.”
“Things seemed to calm down for a couple of hours. During the lull in the shooting, I saw members of the security forces take up positions in the neighboring building. From the top of the building they started firing down at the terrorists who were hiding. When it was all over at around three in the morning, there were three dead bodies on the ground covered. I think they were all terrorists”, Al-Gurni added.
Many residents arriving home Thursday night found themselves caught in the crossfire. One Indian man who asked to remain anonymous told Arab News on the night how he and his family narrowly escaped with their lives: “Right as the shooting started, I tried to drive up to my house but the police told me there was a problem and that I couldn’t take my car. When things calmed down slightly, the police told me and my wife and son to walk home,” he said. “When we were walking toward our building, someone started firing at us and the police. A policeman started shouting at us to run. We ran into the first building we saw and knocked on the door of the ground floor apartment. A young Saudi man opened the door and let us in so that we would be safe. We have been here for three hours now waiting for all this to finish so we can go home.”
When asked if he was afraid to continue living in the area, the man said, “I have lived in Saudi Arabia for 23 years and never had a problem. I moved to Al-Safa District three years ago and have loved it. This is just a one-off incident, which is probably not going to happen to us again. We aren’t going anywhere.”
Said Mohammed, 35, a Pakistani building attendant, said when the shooting started just around the corner from his building, he dived for cover. “I was in Pakistan and saw a great deal of fighting. It was like that. I wasn’t scared for myself but I was scared for my family. My wife and son were crying. I have always felt safe here in Saudi Arabia and that hasn’t changed. This is not the kind of thing that happens every day, so chances are that my family won’t be exposed to this again,” he said.
Abdulsattar Rahmani, a Qur’an teacher who lives down the street from where the shooting happened said that what the terrorists are doing is not Islamic. “Islam doesn’t allow this. These men are misguided. Saudi Arabia has always been a safe place, and when these men are gone, it will be safe again.”
At 12.30 on Thursday night, all roads and highway exits leading to the area were closed. Anyone trying to get to that part of the Al-Safa District was forced to drive down to the Briman Bridge or to the Airport Road in order to avoid the roadblocks.
Police at all roadblocks were armed with machineguns. Between 12.30 and 1.30 a.m., the intensity of the shooting had eased to a few shots being fired every few minutes. Armed special forces soldiers could be seen trying to maneuver to a position of safety where they could fire upon the terrorists without taking fire themselves. At one point, the electricity to the entire street was cut. When the shooting began again at around 1.30, armed patrols rushed at the gathered crowds ordering the spectators to move away or risk arrest. As intense shooting started up again, the crowd quickly dispersed, not requiring further prompting.
