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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve harris who wrote (190968)	6/19/2004 1:26:56 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577883

Saturday, June 19, 2004 · Last updated 9:25 a.m. PT Americans in Saudi Arabia fear for attacks By ADNAN MALIK ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia -- Shaken by the kidnapping and beheading of a compatriot, Americans working in Saudi Arabia fear a new terrorist will step in to replace the alleged al-Qaida leader reportedly killed by police. They found little comfort in the government's announcement that Abdulaziz al-Moqrin and three other militants had died in a gunbattle Friday night after killing American engineer Paul M. Johnson Jr. "I am worried about who is going to step up to take his place and how many of these militants are out there," Jack Smith, 49, an information technology executive in Riyadh, said Saturday. "I hope the Saudis will squash them all soon," the St. Louis native said of the extremists who have stepped up attacks on Westerners in hopes of undermining the desert kingdom's royal family. Smith said he had met Johnson several times at barbecues and other get-togethers. "He was a decent guy and a pleasant man to chat with. I feel very sorry for his family." David Bell, who lives in western Saudi Arabia, expressed skepticism about the Saudi government's ability to impose control. "What's happened is really very sad, and unfortunately this is not going to stop," said Bell, an engineer from Chicago. "We'll have to be very cautious and I'm just going to keep a very low profile." Security measures appear to be increasing throughout the kingdom, with razor wire and high walls being erected around residential compounds and some office buildings. Police convoys drove around key facilities here in Khobar, an oil city where a terrorist attack killed 22 people last month. At housing compounds for Westerners, camouflage netting draped security posts and sandbags were piled at gates guarded by soldiers with machine guns. Armored personnel carriers stood outside many compounds. The U.S. Embassy has been urging Americans to leave the kingdom and says those who remain should take precautions to ensure their safety. seattlepi.nwsource.com