RIYADH: A suicide bomber lightly wounded a senior prince largely credited for Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism campaign, when he blew up a bomb he was carrying near a gathering of well-wishers for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the state news agency said yesterday.
It was the first known assassination attempt against a member of the royal family since Saudi Arabia began its crackdown on Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants eight years ago, following the Sept 11 terror attacks in the United States.
Prince Mohammed Nayef, the Assistant Interior Minister in charge of security, was receiving guests in Jeddah at the end of the day's Ramadan fast, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
The royal court said the bomber was a wanted terrorist who had approached the Prince under the pretext of giving himself up.
It is customary for senior members of the royal family to hold regular open gatherings at which citizens can air grievances, seek settlement of financial or other disputes, or offer congratulations.
The bomber detonated explosives packed inside a mobile phone while he was undergoing security checks, SPA said.
Upon hearing of the attack, King Abdullah swiftly headed to the hospital to which the prince had been taken, according to the agency. It said the prince was later discharged from hospital and that the bomber was the only casualty.
Saudi TV showed images of the prince after the attack. SPA also posted a photo of him receiving King Abdullah at the hospital.
The anti-terror chief did not seem affected by his ordeal and the only sign of injury was a bandage on the middle finger of his left hand.
'This will only increase our determination to eradicate this (militancy),' said Prince Mohammed. He is the son of Interior Minister Nayef Abdel Aziz, who is third in line to the Saudi throne.
The Saudi wing of Al-Qaeda was swift to claim responsibility.
In a statement posted on an Islamic website late on Thursday, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said it was behind the attack, according to the US-based monitoring group, SITE Intelligence.
The Interior Ministry has spearheaded the kingdom's aggressive campaign against terrorism, one that has intensified since militants first struck in the kingdom in May 2003.
Prince Mohammed has been largely credited with the government's recent success in crushing the violence.
The country is the birthplace of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and was home to 15 of the 19 Sept 11 hijackers.
On Aug 19, the authorities announced the arrests of 44 suspected militants with Al-Qaeda links in a year-long sweep that also uncovered dozens of machine guns and electronic circuits for bombs.
Last month, Saudi officials said a Saudi criminal court had convicted and sentenced 330 Al-Qaeda militants to jail terms, fines and travel bans in the country's first known trials for suspected members of the terror group.
The 330 were among 991 suspected militants who the Interior Minister said have been charged with participating in terrorist attacks over the past five years.
ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NEW YORK TIMES
