RIYADH/DAMMAM, 3 May 2004 — The Yanbu killing spree has left Western expatriates in the Kingdom shaken, with many contemplating leaving for good.
Some asked to remain anonymous fearing attacks if their identities are disclosed. Others defiantly vowed to stay on. All organizations employing Westerners are on red alert.
British Council Director Alan Smart said he was to host a luncheon on Saturday for the council’s chairwoman, Baroness Kennedy, who is visiting the capital, but as a result of the Yanbu incident the venue was moved to his residence in the high-security Diplomatic Quarter.
Parents at the British School here, on the other hand, made a point of taking their children to a concert at the school’s auditorium the same night.
A number of Westerners say they keep mirrors in the trunk of their car to check their undercarriage for bombs whenever they leave their car parked outside.
“We are now thinking of relocating,” one said on condition of anonymity, “because the places where we work are vulnerable from a security point of view.”
For the estimated 30,000 US citizens, 30,000 Britons and an additional more than 15,000 from other European countries, such precautions have become almost instinctive.
“I am leaving my job because I’m afraid that the place where I work could be a potential target,” said Carolina Sanz, without giving more details.
James Evan, the country manager of Cathay Pacific Airlines, said people were greatly worried but business was as usual. He added he did not want to comment on “an internal issue of the Kingdom.”
Westerners and Americans, who were once lured by good pay, tax breaks and a resort-style life inside walled compounds, are now reluctant to come to the Kingdom.
After last May’s attack on a housing compound here, thousands of Westerners headed home. But hundreds who left have since returned, and the second suicide attack in November did not prompt a similar reaction, possibly because the target was a compound inhabited largely by Arabs and Muslims.
“At this point after the Yanbu attack, we again see a greater anxiety and a will to rush to the exits,” said another Western expatriate.
British engineer Peter Anderson admitted he preferred to remain inside his villa in a housing compound in the Eastern Province. “It is dangerous to go out in a public place. You don’t know when you will be hit,” he said.
He said he was scared now because the pattern of attacks has changed. “Earlier the terrorists were targeting housing compounds, and as a result security around them was tightened. But now it appears to be random targets. And that is very scary.”
Ralph (surname withheld) is determined not to renew his contract, which expires in September this year. “Things are getting out of control. Security around my housing compound is very good, but obviously the security personnel can’t check each and every individual walking along the street or in the shopping malls.”
Ralph feels the attacks have been to some extent provoked. “I don’t condone the killings, but I must admit that America and Britain are equally responsible for such an ugly situation.”
“How did they expect Arabs to react after seeing the humiliating photographs of Iraqi prisoners being tortured by them,” he asked. “It appears that Saddam’s torture cells are being replaced by American torture cells, the victims being poor Iraqis,” he said.
News of the events in Yanbu spread like wildfire on Saturday all across the region and Arab News Dammam bureau was swamped with calls from as far afield as Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Callers included Americans, Europeans, Saudis and some Asians, who wanted to know the identity of the victims and the actual number of casualties.
In the evening not a single Western expatriate was seen in the region’s supermarkets, fast-food chains and shopping malls.
Eastern Province has the largest population of American and other Western expatriates in the country, working with Saudi Aramco, British Aerospace, SABIC and other industrial and commercial outfits in the Eastern Province.
When Arab News tried to contact Americans and Europeans in Dammam, Alkhobar and Jubail, they either refused to talk or give their reactions requesting anonymity.
Some spots in Alkhobar used to be favorites among Westerners, but since the Riyadh blasts they have gradually stopped coming. The Tamimi Safeway, Aziziyah Panda and a few popular restaurants were empty of Westerners yesterday. The cafeterias at some major companies in Dhahran were deserted during the lunch hour.
The owner of an antique shop in Alkhobar said if the situation continues he may have to close down. “Almost all of my customers are Americans, Britons and Canadians. Due to the recent events most of them have stopped coming. On Saturday evening we didn’t have a single customer,” he said.
