RIYADH, 18 February 2004 — Security forces raided a villa in Rawabi district in eastern Riyadh yesterday, for the second time in two weeks, following a tip-off.
Witnesses and residents near the villa say security forces searched the villa for over three hours but did not make any arrests.
A security source told Arab News that there was heightened activity in the eastern part of the capital and a helicopter hovered over that part of town from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Security forces then cordoned off the area until 7 p.m. while the search went on.
The inhabitants were not present during the first raid, on the third day of Eid, and the neighbors say their whereabouts were unknown.
The new raid came after the Interior Ministry warned residents about a possible terrorist attack in the capital. It gave the warning after receiving information about a GMC Suburban car filled with explosives.
A source in the ministry told Arab News that the ministry has received some 2,000 calls. “Of those calls, eight were precise descriptions,” added the source.
