Saudi king vows to crush bombers

The Riyadh blast is being blamed on al-Qaeda

Saudi Arabia's King Fahd has pledged to strike with an "iron fist" against Muslim militants, following Saturday's suicide bombing in Riyadh.

At least 17 people died in an attack on a compound housing mainly Arab foreign workers.

The statement came as the US reaffirmed its support for Riyadh's moves against Muslim radicals.

At the same time, the Saudi Government has signalled that it is prepared to negotiate with the militants.

King Fahd - quoted in a cabinet statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency - said his government would "strike with an iron fist whoever tries to violate the security of the country or its stability and the safety of its citizens and residents".

VIOLENT WEEK IN THE KINGDOM 3 Nov: Police kill two 'militants' in Mecca, capture six 6 Nov: Two al-Qaeda suspects blow themselves up in Mecca in shoot-out with police 6 Nov: Riyadh police shoot dead third suspect from Mecca 8 Nov: US diplomatic missions closed amid "terrorist threat" 9 Nov: Compound attacked Deep shock after Riyadh blast

"(King Fahd) emphasised the will to confront terrorism and deal forcefully with such criminal and wicked acts," the agency said.

The statement came as security in the Saudi capital was stepped up, following Saturday night's attack - which killed at least 17 and wounded about 120.

Western embassies and residential compounds are now adding to their defences against a similar attack.

The United States embassy remains closed to the public and diplomats say it is likely to stay shut until Wednesday at the earliest.

The bombing was the worst by suspected militants in Saudi Arabia since May, when a triple suicide attack on a housing complex in Riyadh killed 35 people.

Praise

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage flew into Riyadh to meet the country's leadership in the wake of Saturday's attack.

Armitage says Washington stands fully behind the Saudi

He echoed Saudi ministers' comments by saying that he believed Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation was behind the attack.

And he expressed Washington's determination to work more closely with the Saudi authorities to fight terrorism.

Speaking in Egypt on Monday, he said the Saudi security forces had achieved many successes in recent months.

"Saudi security forces have since 12 May, the initial bombings in Riyadh, have uncovered literally hundreds of terrorists.

"They've arrested and killed them, they've broken up cells, they've captured unbelievable amounts of explosives and weapons, they found Korans which were booby-trapped."

Mediation

The US has put pressure on Saudi Arabia to act against al-Qaeda since the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington which were carried out mainly by Saudi nationals.

Most of the victims were non-Saudi Arabs

Some clerics have begun mediation efforts to try to open talks between the militants and the government.

The effort is led by Dr Mohsen al-Awaji, who has warned that the use of violence for political goals was threatening to plunge Saudi Arabia into a Muslim civil war.

But the clerics want a pledge from the authorities to pardon those who hand themselves in.

They also want more concessions regarding the way the royal family runs the country.

The BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi says it is a measure of the difficult situation the Saudi royal family finds itself in that it has to rely on the help of those it once branded as outlaws.