World Tribune.com

Donate

Widespread attacks reported on Westerners in Gulf states

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Saturday, October 13, 2001

ABU DHABI Ñ Westerners are coming under increasing attack in Gulf Arab states.

Attacks on Westerners have been reported in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In Kuwait, a Canadian national employed by the U.S. defense firm DynCorp was killed in a drive-by shooting. The victim was identified as Luc Ethier, 36, shot three times on the outskirts of Kuwait City.

In Doha, a U.S. national was killed in mysterious circumstances, Middle East Newsline reported. The American was an employee of the U.S. military in Qatar.

Attacks on Westerners were also reported in Saudi Arabia. A firebomb was hurled at a German couple on Tuesday. The two escaped harm.

Last week, a U.S. national was killed in a bombing in Riyad.

The Saudi kingdom has refused to participate in the military offensive against Afghan's ruling Taliban movement.

Diplomats said embassies have warned Western nationals to stay indoors and avoid crowds or Islamic sites. They said Ethier could have been killed by Islamic militants aligned with Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden.

Ethier's wife, who was wounded in the shooting, said a man with a rifle shouted "God is great" as he opened fire on late Wednesday. Ethier was an aircraft engineer who worked at Kuwait's Ahmed Al Jaber air base.

Most residents of GCC countries are foreigners. Sixty-five percent of Kuwait's population are foreigners, most of them from Asia.

Americans are believed to be the most vulnerable to Islamic attack and the FBI has warned of attacks throughout the world. About 8,000 Americans, many of them linked to the U.S. military, reside in Kuwait.

"We urge American citizens to limit their movements, maintain a low profile and remain alert to their surroundings," the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Saudi-owned A-Sharq Al Awsat daily reported that the Saudi leadership had refused to host British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is touring the Middle East. "This was because the Saudi leadership was sensitive about its role and position in both the Arab and Islamic world," the newspaper said.

Bahrain has also denied any involvement in the U.S.-led attack. "Reports that strikes on Taliban positions in Afghanistan were coming from the territorial waters of Bahrain are not true," the Bahraini military command said. "No warships participating in the bombing operations are stationed in the territorial waters of Bahrain."

Print this Article Print this Article Email this article Email this article Subscribe to this Feature Free Headline Alerts