U.S. warns of more attacks in Saudi Arabia
Americans urged to leave in face of likely violence
From Elise Labott
CNN Washington Bureau
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 Paul Johnson Jr. was beheaded by his captors in Saudi Arabia.
 Secretary of State Colin Powell condemns the killing as barbaric.
 Analyst Ken Robinson says the beheading could backfire on militants.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Soon after a U.S. hostage was beheaded Friday in Saudi Arabia, a senior State Department official warned that further attacks are likely and urged Americans to leave the kingdom.
"These are vicious killers intent on meeting their objectives," the official said. "And it is going to happen again."
Paul Johnson Jr., an American engineer kidnapped last weekend by Islamic militants connected with al Qaeda, was beheaded by his captors, and chilling photos of the victim appeared on an Islamist Web site. (Full story)
The official said the United States is acting to "batten down the hatches" and avoid giving militants an "easy target."
"We want Americans to leave. We want the people who are there to take appropriate precautions," the official said.
The official said the United States is concerned about another attack against an American because several have already taken place in the past week.
Johnson, 49, a Lockheed Martin Corp. employee, lived away from the heavily fortified expatriate compounds and "was a sitting duck," the official said, adding that the State Department is working with the U.S. business community to review security.
The official said the United States hopes that American expatriates will consider taking a leave of absence for the summer, a common practice, while Saudi authorities "work to go after these guys."
The official said Saudi authorities are narrowing their search for Johnson's kidnapper to an area of eastern Riyadh, but that still leaves a big area of the Saudi capital to cover.
For the past week, the State Department has been urging Americans in the kingdom to consider leaving.
On Thursday, it sharpened its travel warning for Saudi Arabia, and a stronger warning for the entire Middle East and North Africa is expected sometime Friday.
Citing an increased threat to American interests, the State Department pulled family members of its Embassy and consular staff and most of its employees out of Saudi Arabia in April and severely limited the movement of remaining diplomats.
