US Saudi missions go back to work

The US says it will not relocate from its Jeddah mission

The US has reopened its missions in the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Dhahran, two days after an attack by al-Qaeda militants on its consulate in Jeddah.

The offices in Jeddah remain closed for now, but the US confirmed they would reopen and would not be relocated.

A report in the Saudi press said Saudi authorities had asked that the mission be moved to a more secure place.

Nine people died when militants attacked the beachfront compound on Monday with guns and grenades.

The dead included five consular staff and four of the attackers.

Carol Kalin, a spokeswoman for the US embassy, said the decision had been taken to "remain [in the same location] for the immediate future."

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"In the short term, this consulate is in working order... We have work underway to re-fortify the parts that were damaged," she said.

On Tuesday the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia thanked the country's forces for "freeing the compound", though he said security needed to be reviewed.

He repeated a warning to US citizens not to stay in, or travel to, Saudi Arabia because of the threat of attack.

More details emerged on Wednesday about how the three-hour siege unfolded.

Salah Abdel Qawi Alyafiee, a Yemeni, was working in the compound when the gunmen burst in.

"Each one of the terrorists took a group of us and they started shooting at the [Saudi] guards," he said.

"And thanks to God, the Saudis did not shoot at random. They aimed at the terrorists."

Mr Alyafiee said he was shot, but: "I don't know whose bullet hit me."

MAIN SAUDI ATTACKS Nov 1995: Seven killed in blast near US facility in Riyadh June 1996: Bomb kills 19 US soldiers at Khobar complex May 2003: Bombers target Riyadh compounds, killing 35 Nov 2003: Suicide bomb kills 17 at Riyadh housing complex April 2004: Bomber kills five in Riyadh government building May 2004: Seven die in attack on US firm in Yanbu May 2004: Attack on oil firm compound in Khobar kills 30 Timeline: Saudi violence

The attackers shouted "God is great" as they invaded, he said.

"These people are lost," he added as he lay in hospital.

"They don't know anything about their religion."

Another employee, a Sri Lankan man, said: "They asked us: 'Where are the Americans?'

"We said: 'We don't have any Americans'."

During the three-hour battle, five consulate employees - one Yemeni, a Sudanese, a Filipino, a Pakistani and a Sri Lankan - were killed.

Saudi newspapers said the leader of the attack was a former member of the Saudi "morality police", who had been jailed before for his "extremist ideology".

Fayez Awad al-Jihani was one of four attackers who died in the assault. A fifth was captured.