A Saudi prince says the killing of five Westerners in a weekend shooting spree was an act of madness and has urged citizens to protect foreigners helping to develop the oil-rich kingdom's economy. His comments on Monday came as Swiss-based ABB Lummus said it was evacuating all 90 foreign staff from Yanbu, where the shooting occurred, and that an expansion project it was carrying out for Saudi petrochemical firm YANPET would have to be put on hold. "This is an act of madness which no sane person would carry out," Prince Saud bin Abdullah, chairman of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, said of Saturday's shooting, the first assault on an energy facility and the most brazen attack yet on Westerners. "We must treat our guests well, especially since they came to help develop this country and participated in many of our achievements," he told Okaz daily. "Islam forbids such acts."
Security sources said authorities were trying to determine whether the attackers were linked to Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network or if they were Islamists acting independently in anger at U.S. policy in the Arab world. They said the four men, killed by police, were relatives.
| More info, cue the "Family Affair" theme: |
A local newspaper, Al-Watan said the men were all from the Al-Ansari family, and identified them as Samir, Sami, Abdul Nasser, and Ayman Al-Ansari. The paper said: "It has been confirmed that two of them were brothers." The paper added: "Ayman and his three companions were known for not being religious."
| Or maybe that's what they want you to think. |
The newspaper cited sources saying that most of the Al-Ansari family left Yanbu for the holy city of Medina after the attack on the ABB Lummus Global offices.
| Guees this would be the religious branch of the family. |
Details of the murder of Mr Mason and his colleagues emerged yesterday, including that the body of one was stripped naked and dragged behind the gunmen's getaway car. There is also speculation that the attacks were prompted by recent outrage over photographs of American and British troops torturing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners of war.
| Sensitive bunch these Saudis, one picture pushes them right over the edge. |
Students said yesterday that the attackers drove into their parking lot and fired into the air to attract attention to the bloodied corpse attached to their car by its right leg. "This is the president of America!" the men yelled during the attack. A local student said the attackers shouted, "Help your brothers in Fallujah", the Iraqi city under attack from US forces, and "Jihad! Jihad! God is great!"
| This from the "Non-religious" Al-Ansari family |
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