JEDDAH/RIYADH, 9 November 2004 — “I don’t think the latest warning by the German Embassy about potential car bombings at shopping malls in the Kingdom is based on good intelligence,” a top Western diplomat in the Kingdom told Arab News yesterday, on the condition of anonymity.

“It seems that as soon as they receive an anonymous call tipping them off to a potential attack, they immediately issue a warning,” he said. “Of course they do that as they don’t want to be held legally responsible back home if something does happen to one of their citizens.”

The diplomat suggested that each government should closely check any anonymous tip or threat that they receive to establish the credibility of the threat, before it is made public. “There has been no recent specific threat against Westerners,” he stressed.

Within the past two months, several Western missions in the Kingdom have issued new travel warnings or updated advisories to their nationals in the Kingdom, advising them to keep a low profile and remain vigilant in the wake of possible terrorists attacks here.

The German Embassy in Riyadh issued a warning on Oct. 26 that car bombs could hit commercial centers here during the month of Ramadan. The embassy advised its 1,400 nationals living in the Kingdom to limit their movements especially at commercial centers and downtown areas until after Ramadan.

On May 22, a German national, Jonathan Hermann Bengler was gunned down in Riyadh while leaving a bank at around 6:15 p.m.

The French Embassy issued a warning to French citizens living here after a French national was shot dead in Jeddah on Sept. 26. The warning asked French citizens to limit their movements, make sure they were not subject to surveillance, to change their daily itineraries and routes, and asked them to report any suspicious activity to the Saudi police or to the French Embassy or Consulate.

While terrorists have used explosives targeting Saudi government buildings and residential compounds in the past, car bombs have largely been limited to scattered incidents in the Kingdom. In September, twin car blasts occurred in Jeddah outside Western-linked banks. The bombings caused little damage but were thought to be training exercises by militants.

Security forces have been conducting searches across the country for terror suspects responsible for a series of bombings that have killed more than 100 people in less than two years. They arrested at least 18 people in the last three days during searches for terror suspects. Security checkpoints have been installed in various parts of Riyadh.

Andrew Turner, spokesman for the Canadian Embassy, told Arab News that the mission updated its advisory issued on Sept. 24, stressing that Canadian tourists should avoid travel to Saudi Arabia and Canadians traveling on business should evaluate carefully the implications for their security and safety before coming here. Canadians who choose to travel to Saudi Arabia and those currently in Saudi Arabia were told to take all possible security precautions and to avoid large gatherings, crowded places, shopping malls, open markets, restaurants, pedestrian promenades, and other public areas frequented by foreigners.

Referring to the new travel warning issued by the US State Department, Carol Kalin, director of public affairs at the US Embassy, said the latest travel warning was a regular update to inform US citizens that the American mission in Saudi Arabia remains an unaccompanied post as a result of continued security concerns.

“This security advisory is not based on any specific security threat,” said Kalin. She said that the advisory, an update of Aug. 12 warning, is for all US citizens living in Saudi Arabia. The embassy said the security advisories were issued and updated due to targeted attacks against Americans in the past and the continuing threat to their safety.

Barrie Peach, spokesman for the British Embassy, said that the last update of the mission’s travel advisory was immediately after a French national was shot dead in Jeddah.

British nationals were advised to forgo all but “essential” travel to Saudi Arabia because of possible terrorist attacks. They were warned to keep a low profile, avoid public gatherings and maintain a “high level of vigilance” in hotels, restaurants and shopping areas frequented by foreigners.

An Italian diplomat told Arab News that his country had not issued any travel advisory recently to Italians coming to Saudi Arabia.