WASHINGTON, 16 May 2004 — Thomas Washburn, the ABB Lummus Global project manager wounded in an attack on an oil contractor’s office in Yanbu, died Friday in a Houston hospital, company spokesperson Patti McDonald said.
Four other ABB Lummus employees working on the project were also killed in the May 1 attack.
Washburn, 40, was flown out of the Kingdom on May 8 in critical condition after being shot in the neck. He died from complications due to his wounds.
Washburn, a Canadian citizen who had worked for ABB Lummus for five years, arrived in Yanbu only about a week prior to the attack.
“His family would like to thank all his well-wishers, his friends, family and co-workers for the support they have provided during the past two weeks,” McDonald was quoted as saying by the Houston Chronicle.
Ken Washburn said his brother told him before the attacks that security was tight. “It certainly seemed they were taking extreme precautions,” the brother said. “He never expressed any misgivings,” he added.
Dozens of people were wounded when four gunmen entered the Yanbu offices of ABB Lummus Global Inc., a Houston-based oil contractor, and randomly opened fire, killing five Western oil workers and a National Guard security officer. The gunmen were later killed in shootouts with police.
Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement purporting to be from the Al-Qaeda chief in the Kingdom.
Saudi authorities have identified the leader of the Yanbu assailants, all from the same family, as Mustafa Abdul Qader Al-Ansari.
All of ABB’s 90 non-Saudi employees chose to leave Yanbu because of the shootings and the company is temporarily withdrawing from the Red Sea city but plans to return to complete the project.
