Security forces surround the Interior Ministry building after the explosions on Wednesday. (SPA)

RIYADH, 30 December 2004 — Seven terrorists were killed in a gunbattle after the stillness of the night in the capital was shattered when two car bombs exploded yesterday spreading alarm all over the city.

Shortly after the two explosions, security forces raided a villa in Al-Tawo’un District in the north of the capital where they received information that terrorists were holding a Western hostage.

A gunbattle took place after the villa was raided and seven terrorists hiding inside were killed.

At approximately 8.30 p.m., a loud explosion was heard in downtown Riyadh, near the area surrounding the Ministry of Interior.

The blast was so powerful that it caused buildings located two kilometers away to shake.

The explosion was also heard all the way in the Diplomatic Quarter 10 kilometers away, as people phoned Arab News to say that the windows in their buildings shook from the impact of the blast.

Security sources told Arab News that a car bomb was detonated at the entrance of a tunnel adjacent to the Ministry of Interior from the east side.

The source said that there were no terror suspects in the car and that it was detonated by remote control.

Saudi Arabian Television showed a large presence of security forces near the Ministry of Interior building. The powerful blast caused slight damage to the surrounding gate, as well as nearby shops whose windows were shattered.

“I was in my living room watching television on my sofa when I heard the loud blast. It shattered the windows of my house and threw me off balance,” said one eyewitness whose house was only 200 meters away from the blast.

“When I came down to the street to see what was going on, I noticed that there were huge plumes of smoke coming from the direction of the Ministry of Interior,” he added.

Dozens of police cars, ambulances, special forces units, were immediately deployed to the area and security forces sealed off the entire area surrounding the Ministry of Interior all the way down Al-Ma’athar road.

Police used live rounds to disperse curious onlookers who gathered on small hilltops near the area.

Half an hour after the first explosion, another loud explosion was heard in Al-Sulai district. This time the target was the Special Forces Training Building.

According to security sources, the bomb was detonated in a GMC truck. It was not known whether it was a suicide attack or whether it was also detonated by remote control.

According to the head of the Saudi Red Crescent Society Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailim, only a handful of people were injured.

“The number of injured people was between four and five and they were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. None of the injuries was major,” he said on Saudi Arabian Television.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Brig. Gen. Mansoor Al-Turki said that the number of explosions was two and not three, as was reported by some media networks.

Till the time of going to press there were no suspects arrested as helicopters were hovering at a low altitude over the districts of Al-Olaya, Al-Ma’athar, and central down town looking for suspects.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, even though fingers are being pointed at Al-Qaeda or its sympathizers in the Kingdom. This is the second major attack on a government building since the special security forces and traffic department building was attacked on April 21.

A suicide bomber driving a truck detonated a bomb near the protective barrier, which caused the building to rip in half, killing four people and injuring 148, including 38 expatriates.

Even though the Kingdom has being hitting hard on terrorists since May 12, 2003, a number of small terror cells still exist in Riyadh, Bureidah, and in small towns.

Earlier this month, five militants stormed the US Consulate in Jeddah and killed four of its foreign workers in an apparent attempt to drive Westerners out of Saudi Arabia.