No one hurt in Saudi car explosion
From Caroline Faraj
CNNArabic.com
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(CNN) -- A car owned by a Saudi intelligence officer exploded Monday in a residential neighborhood of Riyadh, destroying the car and shattering nearby windows but causing no injuries, sources in Saudi Arabia said.
Sources said the intelligence officer was driving when he suspected something was wrong. He quickly parked the car and got out seconds before it exploded, they said.
The sources said the explosion came from underneath the parked car, but further details were not available. Authorities immediately sealed off the area.
The blast happened just as evening prayers ended, the sources said. The car was parked along the street near a mosque in the al-Salam neighborhood in east Riyadh, a Saudi official said.
Civil defense chief Gen. Saad bin Abdullah al-Towaijiri was quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency as saying a Lexus exploded, but no one was harmed.
U.S. authorities have warned in recent weeks of the possibility of al Qaeda-led terror attacks in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. (Full story)
The State Department earlier this month authorized nonessential diplomats and their families to leave the country for fear of attacks against Westerners there. (Full story)
The British Foreign Office issued a warning to travelers Sunday that a terrorist attack could be in the "final stages" of planning in Saudi Arabia. (Full story)
Riyadh has seen two suicide bombings against housing compounds this year -- in May and again in November.
On November 8, a car bomb killed 17 people in a mostly Arab neighborhood. Saudi officials said they believe al Qaeda was behind the attack, mistakenly thinking the compound housed Americans. (Full story)
In May, triple car bombings killed 23 people at three complexes housing Westerners. Twelve other bodies were identified as bombers.
