RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A three-week-old investigation in the May 12 bombings in Riyadh bolsters initial speculation that the attacks were carried out by al-Qaida, FBI Director Robert Mueller said Sunday.
“I think we assume that yes, there are ties to al-Qaida,” Mueller said during an overnight trip to Riyadh to thank Saudi officials for cooperating with U.S. authorities in the war on terrorism. “Clearly this type of undertaking has the hallmarks of an al-Qaida operation.”
Mueller praised Saudis for a swift-moving investigation, which has resulted in at least 21 arrests, including suspected members of al-Qaida, the international terrorist operation led by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.
Although the FBI chief stopped short of saying that the arrests have resolved the bombing case, he said the Saudis’ response to the attacks has been “exceptionally significant” in combating terrorism, both in the region and internationally.
“From our perspective, our Saudi counterparts have made substantial progress since May 12 in addressing terrorism in the kingdom,” Mueller said.
The FBI dispatched more than 60 agents to Riyadh to join Saudi officials in investigating the bombings, which killed 35 people, including nine Americans.
Some press accounts shortly after the attacks suggested a rift between Saudi and U.S. agents, but Mueller said “the cooperation has been good and will continue to be.”
Many of the FBI agents have returned home, but a small team will remain in place to assist Saudi authorities, Mueller said. The agents have helped to collect evidence and interview witnesses at the three residential compounds attacked by suicide bombers.
Mueller described the Saudis’ crime scene work as “exceptionally professional and exceptionally well done.”
Authorities last week arrested 11 people, including three extremist clerics. Some Saudi press reports have identified one of those in custody as an alleged mastermind of the attack, but those reports have not been confirmed.
Mueller declined to discuss the identities of those in custody but said at least some are associated with al-Qaida. None of the suspects, he said, is on the FBI’s list of 22 most-wanted terrorists.
The FBI director met with Prince Nayef, the Saudi interior minister in charge of the investigation, as well as Nayef’s son, Mohammed, the deputy interior minister.
U.S. officials, Mueller said, were “tremendously gratified” by Saudi leaders’ pledges immediately after the May 12 attacks, “expressing their solidarity with us and others in the war against terrorism.”
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(c) 2003, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
AP-NY-06-01-03 1655EDT
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