TERRORISM REVIEW

Created: 7/1/1996

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Terrorism Revii-w

Khubar Bombing; Snudi Oppositionists and

Iran Major Suspects

ruck bomb attack at Khutor Towers. Dh ah*

have been well panned ind eiccuted. Themveitigaiiiwioconngroup ledaudi Shu resident in Lebanon, but some report* point tn Saudi Sunni mihlaaw or Inn asIpriti In *phe of increased security mnwrti and heightened ihtea( awareness among die US mililary and civilian population* in Saudi Arabia, they will remain attractive targets. (SNF)

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Kliubar Bombing: Saudi Oppositionists and Iran Major Suspects

une truck bomb allack al Khubar Timers, Dhahran, which. rcMilted in Ibe death ofUS clli-irm and Ibr aaundlnx ofS and foreign nationals, appears to hairplanned and rsrvulcd. The Saudi investigation seems to be focusedroupaudi shia resident In Lebanon named Ahmad .Mtighussll. Other report* point lo Saudi Sunntprimarily renegade Saudi terrorist Ihuincler Isama Binalso implMalrs thefor the Defense of Legrtimiitr Right*ondon-based Saudi dissidentIran rt another credible culprit, hating been noted cwllnling intelligence rest nlli ua IS facilities and suspected by Riyadh of having assisted Saudi Shift undo investigation in Ihe bom bim

latesturveillance and harassment h> young Arab males These incident* appear to have been efforts, to levl the facility's defenses and the guards' reaction timet

events mc In Jed firing shots, crashing thefence, and taking photos, as well as other forms uf sunt ill mice. The hostile actions occurred0 local time.

at Ihe facility already had been heightened following the IJ5 bombing of the US Office of the Program Manager. Saudi Arabian National Guard (OPM/SANG) building ta Riyadh, and US military personnel reported lhal Saudi police planned to lake further stepsf these recent incidents.

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In spite of increased security measures and height, cned threat awareness among iht US mililarj and civilian populations in Saudi Arabia, they will remain attractive targets for terrorists. The croups who claimed credit for the Khubar and Riyadh bombings have threatened further attacks, and the perpetrators havetrike even relatively secure facilities

A Well-Executedhe exceptionally powerful CxpJiWiiVf out tide ibe secunty tence of the Khubar Barracks dctirnyed tbe facade and ihc sower neon uf one building andother buildingsm radius. Based on ihe sire ofeter* wide andetersFederal Buieau ufbelieves that ihis may he tbe largest explosion their investigators have ever encountered. Tlie Khubar facility housed moil of theS forces, as wellrench and MO Britishresponsible for morifcuirg ihe ito-fly tone over southern Iraqj

This well-executed attack may have been planned for several months Personnel at the Khubar facility had reported numerous incidents over the pusi eighl

Saudi Shla. We have no definitive informniionwho was responsible for the bombing, although Ihe Saudi-ledocusingaudi Shi. Ahmadbu lihaq. living in Lebanon's Rckaa Valley. The Saudis say Ihey have obtained nformalionnterrogations ofthey havebefore and alter thelinks Mughassilhipment of explosives from Lebanon lo Saudi Arabia seized innd possibly to ihe OPM/SANG bombing:

* The Saudis believe that Mughasiil directed the cspsosives smuggling operation, that heehavse paxtpurterhapi an Iranian one. and that he may take directions from ban. The Saudis at first thought Mufihassil had fled lo Iran but received xubsequeni information that he was still in Syria.

Riyadh has been seeking Syrian assistance inMugh.mil from Lebanon since ai least early April for questioning about the shipment ofto the kingdom. They have redoubled their efforts since the Khubar bombing j

Not Ruling Out Iraq

Although we hove no reporting linking Iraq to Khubar. ihe hamliing rtinrulnl wiih ihte nary of ihr IfSallatk on ihr Iraqi Intelligence Service Headquarters:'

offuiahipluitly threatened retaliation for iht US ilnie.repeated th- ite ikreau on the

of ihe Unit

US umcenun servingJoint Tatt a tatted-iih rnfbrcingnu-fli iunr in wtlietn Iraq, aremrgtr foe

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Saudi Arabia^

Other information links the London-based Committee for Ihe Defense of Legitimate Right* (CDLR) more directlyoth the Khubar attack and the Riyadh bombing

Onune an unidentified Arab man phoned the al-Arab newspaper in London claimingfor the Khubar attack nn behalf of the "Legion of

. AhhimgH i't Kkvtiii'mi ha ihe eitnatg vfabel lilwnA

. (he Martyr AhdallahThe caller also claimed responsibility for the hombine r, Riyadh and promised further terrorivi acts unless Ihc Saudi Govenirnenl ciprlled US and other foreign troops. Abdallah al-HudaifDLR supporter who was executed inS for throwing acidaudi Officer Saudi vecunt) forces claim (hai CDLR leader* ordeied aJ-Hjdaifi actions againsi Saudi pftiriah:

Following Ahdallah al-Hudaif's execution, the CDLR called al-Hudaif the first martyr "In the five-year struggle fur legitimate rights in Saudi Arabia" and said thai the killingangerously momentous turn in (ho struggle between the regime and the reform mnvcmcnt. the consequences will be extremely disadvantageous."

Inuring an acrimonious public debate betweeneidcr Mauri and his depuly. Sa'd al-Faqih. Faqih xcuscd Masari ofecret military wing of the CDLR. headedhia. whxh he said wa* responsible for the bombing m

Iran. Iran's vociferous denunciation ot the USpresence in the region, coupled with its demon* si rated prepiredneuse terrorismolicy tool,ossibility of Tehran hcing behind the Khubar bombing Information compiled from various sources since ihc spring1 indicates increased Iranian surveillance and cnllmlinn of targetingon US perstmncl and installations worldwide, particularly in llie Middle Bast Although Iran may haverogram in Saudi Arabia designed to threaten US intercut, we cannot link any known Iranian operation to the Khubar

The Iraroans may be connected, however, to Saudi Shia underhe Khubar investigation Saudi otheials believe that Mughasnl has stronglies lo Lebanese Hizballah and has been in contact wiih the office of Iranian Supreme Leaderordanian service reports lhat an alleged HiabalUh leader named Ahmad Aliwe have mil been able loonune that the bombing was earned out by Saudi Shias with links lo

Poiuicat Concerns Hamstring Inreitigation

The bombing in Dhahran occurredime wlien domestic political cmuUteraiioru increasingly art buttering ihe Saudi Covernmeni and etjmino itsSensitive to the appeaiance of ceding HSpOHtibUtry for the investigation to Washmgttm and nary of possible leaks by US investigators, tomeleaders have been reluctant torma-fron tonnetitdhe blast in an attempt to limadomest* political repercustions Im addition. Saudi officials appear to view ate blast largely a. un internal Saud, mailer and therefore balkasnng ^formation IO US counterpart out of, ancemh actum wouldrovereignty:

Washington's lack of reactionsraels campaign in Lebanon in April, as well as US support for At newly elected Netanyahu government.

Saudi Interioron the

restricttnve.ugation from US authoritiesthehe wants ihe Saudiscredit for the evtniual capture of ihtbecause he wants to limit US aceeu toofficers who may divulge mote details

lose relationship vim ,he United Stairipresence of US farces in the kingdom,opponents have criticized repeatedly sincewar.ringing gefUwyi habilirypublic

dit saiitfocium wah the Untied States has intensified sharply since Apnl because of what many peneire at

Recognizing these potmcal sensitivities. Riyadh hai soughi both to mask information that the blast wm directed at US troops and lo minimize ils. The govemmeM-comrolled Saudi press only listed USamong ihe many nationalitiesuffered.

neither Crown Prince israndA,>tatwn

mati nor Minister of icountry's two most senior leaders aper the King-han vistied the bombing ffrf, m, trews I

suggtstmg that the

opposmon is more organized and sophistuatedpreviously realized, Saudi officialspublic exposure of ihis knowledge

and (ran We have prcoout rcponsng of Iranian support lo Satsdi Sfeia

There ire iivdicatiom that ihe Iranian MamieGuard Corps' Lebanon contingent gave uT-pcciricd training5hu oppositionists from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

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tne summer ui iw. me Iranian UlSmlC KdvoTuiton-ary Guard Corp*wo-monih-king military training couise lor loSaudi ShialicballahebanonJ

Further Terrorist Attacks

Threats and other statements directed against Ihe US presence tn Saudi Arabia, some made by suspects in the Khubar bombing, underscore the significant dan gerol Further terrorism against US intcreth in the kingdom:

US civilians in the DhahranUS employees of ARAMCO and McDonnell Douglas-have reported receiving telephone threats since (he allack.

CDLR leadei Masari tiuduly that "if there arc avouch attacks ot it US civilian* surt to arrive home in body bags, the United State* will have lo weigh jp ill presence in s. .Aiabia "

Bin Ladinritish newtnape- <hu attacks oo IIS personnel in Saudi Arabia were the Tiepniting of war between Muslims and Ihe Unitednd advised France and the Unitedlso u> withdraw troops stationed there He also claimed ihat Muslim religious leaders have givenarwa (religious authorization) lo "drive out the

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US facilities and personnel in Saudi Arabia arc likely to remain attractive largets. For all of ihe major sus-peiM in the bombing, attacks against US inicrcsls in the kingdom have ihc added benefit of undermining the credibility of ihe Saudi regime. The Khubardemonstrates thai anti-US terrorists can strike even relatively secure facilities in the kingdom. In addition to theilitary personnel in Saudi Arabia, there are more0 US civilians who would also presenttargets!

Original document.

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