The explosion that killed the suicide-attacker attempting to assassinate Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Deputy Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, at his home Thursday night, took place only one meter away from the Prince, sources told Okaz newspaper Friday. The attacker had contacted authorities to hand himself in personally to the Prince only one day before the incident, and the surrender at Prince Muhammad's home in Obhur, north Jeddah, would, the attacker claimed, precede further numbers of wanted persons handing themselves over to the Saudi authorities. The explosion of a device hidden on the attacker's body left bystanders faced with a “horrific scene” as his head, legs and hands were all blown apart, while the Prince suffered only minor injuries to his left hand. Spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Mansour Al-Turki told Okaz newspaper Friday that the name of the attacker, who was on the Ministry of Interior list of 85 wanted terrorists announced in February and aged no more than 30 years, would continue to be withheld from the press while investigations continued. The explosion occurred during a security check at 11.30 P.M., according to a Royal Court statement the same night, while Al-Arabiya television channel reported the blast as being triggered by an external telephone call. Eyewitnesses present at the Prince's house to wish him well on the occasion of Ramadan told Okaz that he responded to the incident “calmly and bravely”, before being taken to hospital in his own private vehicle. King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, received first news of the incident 10 minutes after its occurrence and was at King Faisal Hospital less than 15 minutes after Prince Muhammad's arrival. According to sources accompanying the Prince, the King stayed with him for 40 minutes, while the Prince himself left the facility, along with Prince Naif, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, at around five o'clock Friday morning having suffered only minor injuries to his left hand. The Prince reportedly told the King during his visit that the incident served only to “strengthen our resolve to root out the terrorists”. Prince Muhammad was also visited at the hospital by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, and Prince Muqrin, Head of General Intelligence. Saudi Press Agency (SPA) photographs showed the Prince relaxed and talking to King Abdullah at the hospital and revealed only a small bandage on a finger of his left hand. No one else was injured in the incident, according to the Royal Court statement. Members of the royal family, officials and the press showed their support for Prince Muhammad and were united in their condemnation of the failed assassination attempt. Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, speaking to Okaz, cited Prince Muhammad's “loyalty and steadfastness” in the face of the attack. “It was not to be unexpected,” Aal Al-Sheikh said of the incident, “as this man has stood up to those who call for such corrupt ways and try to spread division. They are corrupt to the core in their evil, but thanks be to Allah that their efforts failed.” The Grand Mufti also reserved strong words for those of “deviant thought”, asking them to “repent of their ways and return to Allah”. Further words of comfort came from the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah, who added his condemnation of what he described as the “loathsome attack which Allah foiled from achieving its goals.” Speaking to the SPA, Al-Attiyah said: “Attacks such as these will never succeed in shaking the security and stability with which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is blessed under the wise leadership which spares no efforts to achieve safety and security for its citizens and residents.” “It was a cowardly attempt committed by deviants,” said head of Jeddah Police Ali Al-Ghamdi. “It just goes to show how desperate and weakened the terrorists have become”. Adil Zamzami, Chief of Civil Defense in Makkah described Prince Muhammed as “one of the great symbols and men of the country”, and “a shining light for security work”. Jeddah Civil Defense chief Muhammad Al-Ghamdi said: “The state has always held out its hand of support and given so much to the nation and its children whose hearts hold great love for the guardians who have provided housing, water and a health system, as well as family care and education.” “Prince Muhammad is for us a symbol of resolve and impeccable treatment of others,” Al-Ghamdi continued. “He invited the suicide-attacker into the safety of his home, treating people as he does in accordance with Islamic Shariah, but this group no longer differentiates in its acts but has jumped on the bandwagon of corruption and calls to stray from the right path.” In Al-Watan, Jamal Khashogji newspaper editor-in-chief, headlined, “We are all Muhammad Bin Naif,” describing the now-deceased attacker and those who carry out similar acts of aggression as “against the whole country, from the royal family that has striven for and defended Islam and maintained the principle of the ‘Islamic state'” to “society and reform.” – SG Crackdown chronology Following is a chronology of incidents since the first major assault in Saudi Arabia in 2003, when triple suicide bombings gutted three Riyadh housing compounds and killed 35 people, including nine Americans. 2003 – May 12: At least 35 people, including nine Americans, are killed and 200 wounded in Al-Qaeda suicide bombings in Riyadh. June 14: Police kill five militants and arrest seven others in a shootout in Makkah. Five policemen are also killed. June 26: The mastermind of the Riyadh attacks is arrested. July 3: A key suspect in the Riyadh bombings and three other “wanted terrorists” are killed in a shootout. Oct. 22: Nearly 600 have been arrested since the May attack. Nov. 4: Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, says a militant attack on pilgrims thwarted. Nov. 9: Al-Qaeda suicide bombers kill up to 30 people in Riyadh, a day after the United States warned of terrorist raids. Dec. 6: The government names 26 top suspects wanted in connection with “terrorist” operations and offers a $1.9-million bounty. 2004 – Jan. 29: Security forces capture a militant and other suspects after a firefight in Riyadh in which five policemen are killed. Apr. 8: One of Saudi Arabia's most wanted Al-Qaeda militants calls on Muslims to kill Americans everywhere and vows attacks against Arab leaders allied to Washington. Apr. 21: Suspected Al-Qaeda suicide car bomb destroys a security forces building in Riyadh, killing four people and wounding 148 in the first major attack on a government target. May 1: Workers at a petrochemical site kill five Western engineers in a shooting spree in Yanbu. May 29: Suspected Al-Qaeda militants killed 16 people, including Westerners, and seized 50 foreign hostages. June 6: Gunmen kill an Irish cameraman for the BBC, and seriously wound BBC correspondent Frank Gardner in Riyadh. June 8: Gunmen kill an American employee of US contracting firm Vinnell in Riyadh. June 12: Al-Qaeda shoots dead an American in Riyadh. June 18: Kidnappers behead an employee of US defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Aug. 3: An Irish civil engineer who worked for a Saudi firm is shot dead in his office in Riyadh. Sept. 15: A British engineer employed by electronics company Marconi is killed in Riyadh in Al-Qaeda attack. Sept. 26: Al-Qaeda shoots dead a Frenchman in Jeddah. Dec. 6: Militants storm the US consulate in Jeddah, killing five local staff and four Saudi security personnel. Three militants are killed and two captured. Dec. 29: Two huge car bombs explode after militants try to storm the Interior Ministry building and a security unit. 2005 – April 5: Two of Saudi Arabia's most wanted militants are killed by security forces in three days of clashes in Al-Ras. Twelve other militants also killed in the battles. Apr. 21: Two suspected militants and two Saudi security personnel are killed in a gunfight in Makkah. June 29: Auithorities issue two new lists of wanted persons after only two remain on original 26-man list. Aug. 8: US and British embassies among several Western embassies to close after intelligence reports of attacks. Aug. 18: Security forces kill Saleh Al-Awfi, believed to be the leader of Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, in Madina. 2006 – Feb. 24: Security forces foil two suicide bomb attacks at huge oil facility in the east. 2007 – Feb. 26: Four French expatriates working in Saudi Arabia shot dead during a desert trip. 2008 – Mar 3: Authorities arrest 28 people suspected of seeking to regroup Al-Qaeda and carry out a “terror campaign”. Oct. 21: The government indicts 991 suspected Al-Qaeda militants for carrying out 30 attacks since 2003, the accused include clerics. 2009– July 8: A court condemns one person to death in first sentences since 2003. The rulings involved 323 suspects in 179 cases with other sentences ranging from a few months to 30 years in jail. Aug. 19: Saudi Arabia arrests 44 militants who planned to carry out attacks and seize weapons and electronic detonators. Aug. 28: Prince Mohammed Bin Naif, Deputy Interior Minister in charge of security, survives a suicide attack in Jeddah.
