Slayings Spurred Saudi Rescue

Until last year, the Saudi government has played down evidence that it faced a growing threat from Islamic radicals who wanted to sever ties with the West. Since the spate of deadly attacks erupted, Saudi security forces have tried to crack down on such groups, rounding up hundreds of suspects and issuing a list of wanted al Qaeda sympathizers.

"Their intent . . . is to frighten, it is to murder people, it is to try to cripple the Saudi economy and the world economy," Nail Jubeir, a spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Washington, told CNN. "They're trying to play on that split of culture, split of civilization, but it's not going to work."

Oil and gasoline prices have soared in recent weeks, and the Saudi government has responded by promising to increase production to meet rising worldwide demand.

Despite the recent attacks against foreign oil workers, Saudi officials have tried to reassure world energy markets that their pipelines, terminals and oil processing center are well-guarded and not vulnerable to attack.

Nawaf Obaid, a Riyadh-based consultant to the Saudi royal family, said in an article published this month in Jane's Intelligence Review that the risk of a disruption to the flow of oil was "very low."

"Saudi Arabia takes the security of its oil facilities extremely seriously," Obaid wrote. "At any one time, there are up to 30,000 guards protecting the country's oil infrastructure, while high technology surveillance and aircraft patrols are common."

Khashoggi, the Saudi adviser in London, acknowledged that the government was originally taken aback by the persistence of the insurgents. Security has been stepped up, he said, but there is only so much that the kingdom could do to prevent attacks.

"All of us underestimated the threat," he said, referring to the Saudi and Western governments. "The oil installations are very much protected. But these people are attacking soft targets, and soft targets are available. There are thousands of foreigners all over the kingdom."

Sherard Cowper-Coles, the British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told reporters in Khobar that the danger from extremist groups remained high. "We believe further attacks may be in the final stages of preparations," he said, though he did not give details. At least one Briton, an oil executive, Michael Hamilton, 61, was killed in the attack, he said. Witnesses said earlier that the body of a Briton was dragged through the streets, the Associated Press reported.

The attack began just after dawn Saturday, when the gunmen entered a walled office compound and overpowered two guards. The gunmen killed some oil company employees on the spot. They then started seizing hostages, taking them to the sixth floor of the high-rise building in the luxury residential compound. Saudi commandos occupied floors above and below but did not rush the gunmen until the executions began, government officials said.