This entry will compile news reports of the attack on the US Consulate in Jeddah, on the day after the attack. I’ll try to find diverse voices.

Attack on US Consulate Jolts Saudis, Helps Raise Oil Prices

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Its confidence shaken, Saudi Arabia pledged anew to ensure stability in the kingdom and said Tuesday four militants behind a deadly assault on the U.S. consulate in Jiddah the day before were Saudis.

This article has additional details, including the identities of some of the attackers, although its main premise–that oil prices rose–is contradicted by a later Associated Press article which show oil prices sliding.

Interestingly, the piece quotes two Arab analysts who seem to think the attack “succeeded” because the outer perimeter of the compound was breached. Perhaps on a symbolic level, but even then, it’s a pretty weak definition of “success”. The Consulate defenses did pretty much what they were supposed to do: they kept the attacker’s vehicle outside. The attack was quickly quashed, before the main building was entered; according to one press report, the gunfire itself lasted only a few minutes, but checking the compound to make sure no threat remained took several hours.

According to sources in Saudi Arabia, the attack was mostly directed at the Consular Services section of the Consulate. That office, with a public waiting room, is located on one side of the main building, near the gate that was used to enter the compound. Its door is protected with electronic locks as well as bullet-proof glass. The glass was shot-up (but not shattered), and served to keep the attackers out.

Those consulate employees killed and injured worked primarily in the General Services Office, that department responsible for maintaining the facility, handling services like screening mail against incoming dangers and keeping the physical plant running. The gate is about 150 yards from the motorpool, and it appears that the only drivers hurt were those in the vehicles actually at the gate at the time of the attack. The vehicles themselves–assuming they were Consulate vehicles–are lightly armored: they have bulletproof glass and panels in the doors and sidewalls, but are not up to deflecting heavy caliber weapons. They definitely not up to the standard of HumVees in Iraq, even before add-on armor.

New reports are also indicating that a fourth attacker–wounded in the gunfire–had died of his injuries in the hospital. One remains in captivity.

UPDATE:

Colin Powell at State Department
Washington Times Saudis Vow to Eradicate Terrorism
International Herald-Tribune US Remains at Risk, even under Top Guard
News24 Al Qaeda Claims Jeddah Attack

Several of these stories seem to be coming from the same sources as they repeat the same error. For instance, a couple state that the Consulate compound is on the seafront. Thirty years ago, the compound–then the Embassy compound–was indeed on the sea. But landfill has now pushed the sea about a mile-and-a-half from the Consulate walls.

I see some analyses on the web stating that this attack shows a new-found organizational ability in Al-Qaeda. I truly don’t think so. This attack strikes me as one of desperation.

A very small team was involved. There was no rigorous planning needed; some news reports say that the Consulate was “scouted”, but that doesn’t mean much. The compound is at a busy intersection, is across the street from a private hospital, and thousands pass by every day. Further, it’s not difficult for a Saudi to get inside the walls on a “scouting mission.” All you need to do is claim a reason to be there. Applying for a visa; meeting with a Commercial Officer to discuss trade; delivering a package; looking for information about American universities, even the SAT or GRE exams… any of these will get you inside the walls, maybe inside the building. But that only goes so far. You can see what’s visible and most of the security is not visible.

That the attackers underestimated the depth of security is pretty obvious, I think. They ran around open areas for a few minutes, firing upon–and setting fire to–targets of opportunity. If they made a concentrated effort to breach the main building–where American officers work–then it failed utterly.

There were no innovative tactics or weaponry used. This was a run-of-the-mill terrorist attack.

The attack did succeed in showing that terrorist groups still exist in Saudi Arabia, despite the hundreds of individual terrorists already killed or captured. That’s not exactly surprising. Clashes between the terrorists and Saudi security personnel are happening weekly. It also showed that there are terrorists who are willing to go for what they consider “the big prize”, even when they’ve no chance in obtaining it.

I really don’t see any material change in the security situation in Saudi Arabia. Westerners have been advised to keep their heads down and their security awareness up for the past two years. They remain targets, both as individuals and as groups in their homes, places of work, or the places they may congregate like grocery stores and restaurants. The Saudi government is being challenged in exactly the same way they have been since May, 2003.

UPDATE

Today’s Arab News has several articles that add to the overall picture of what happened, the perpetrators, and the victims:

Simeen Basheer, Indian procurement clerk, killed
Ali Yuslam, Yemeni driver, killed
Romeo dela Rosa, Filipino telephone technician, killed
Injured Pakistanis in Stable Condition
Witnesses & Victims Look Back in Anger
Consulate Attackers Identified
Consulate Had Been “Scoped Out”

The Saudi Gazette has a lengthy, front-page piece, which identifies Monica Lemieux, a Political Officer assigned to Jeddah, as one of the passengers in the car that was attacked early in the conflict. Monica’s a terrific person and a terrific officer. She’s well-connected within the Saudi community and has great Arabic. When her reports become declassified, they’ll be worth hunting down.