In Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, terrorists shot their way into three housing compounds and set off multiple suicide car bombs. More than two dozen people, including at least seven Americans, were killed. Nearly two-hundred people were wounded.
The attack occurred while U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was on his way to Riyadh for an official visit. Mr. Powell said the attack had “the earmarks of al-Qaida,” Osama bin Laden's terrorist network that attacked America and killed over three-thousand people from more than ninety countries on September 11th, 2001.
"Terrorism," said Mr. Powell, "is a threat to the entire civilized world." These murderers, he said, must be stopped:
"This has to be the number one priority, not only for the United States but for the civilized world, so that things like this cannot continue to happen. This is criminality, terrorism at its worst, and there is no justification for it in any way, fashion, or form."
President George W. Bush vowed to hunt down the Riyadh terrorists:
"These despicable acts were committed by killers whose only faith is hate. And the United States will find the killers and they will learn the meaning of American justice."
Since September 11th, 2001, there have been many victories in the war against terrorism. But as Secretary of State Powell said, "We cannot and will not relax our resolve, our efforts, and our vigilance. The international campaign against terrorism must press forward on every front: diplomatic, intelligence, law enforcement, financial, and military."
