‘Bin Laden behind Saudi attacks’

Osama bin Laden gave the "green light" for Monday’s suicide attacks in Riyadh, a leading Saudi dissident told CNN.

Saad al Fagih, director of the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, told CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen that the attacks in the Saudi capital are "most probably the beginning of an al-Qaeda campaign within Saudi Arabia."

In a news report, CNN said Fagih pointed to statements Bin Laden made during the Hajj celebration four months ago that called for such a campaign.

Even the US State Department, said CNN, had warned of a possible terrorist attack "in the near future" of a residential complex housing Americans and other Westerners in the Al Hamra neighborhood based on unconfirmed reports.

"While we cannot certify the credibility of the threat, in light of recent events this information is being shared with the American community," the State Department was quoted as saying in a public announcement.

On Monday, 25 people were killed, including eight Americans and three Filipinos when suicide bombers hit three expatriate housing compounds in Riyadh.

According to CNN, even before the Iraq war, Fagih had already predicted that al-Qaeda would mount large-scale operations against American targets.

This was in addition to small-scale bombings and shooting attacks against Westerners carried out by what Fagih referred to as "second circle" al-Qaeda sympathizers.

Saudi officials have told CNN reporters that the suspected ringleader of the Riyadh attacks was an al-Qaeda member named Khaled Mohammed Mussallam al Jehani.

While they do not have information to back this claim, US officials have said they do not rule out the possibility.