Jun 21, 2002 3 min read

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – A bomb exploded shortly after a British banker started up his Land Rover, killing him Thursday outside a residential compound in the Saudi capital. The banker, identified as Simon Veness, died when the four-wheel-drive vehicle blew up in northern Riyadh, the official Saudi Press Agency quoted the police chief, Lt. Gen. Abdullah al-Shahrani, as saying.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which took place two days after Saudi Arabia announced the arrest of al-Qaida suspects and a day after Britain warned its citizens to be vigilant about security.

Al-Shahrani said there were no other casualties in the 8:54 a.m. explosion. He said the car Veness was driving was a Land Rover Discovery.

An official at the British Embassy in Riyadh said the blast occurred while the car was moving, and not right after it was turned on. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Police cordoned off the area and barred access to journalists as authorities cleaned up the site, which is a quiet residential area close to Imam Saud University.

A British Foreign Office spokesman said in London that they are in close contact with Saudi investigators and Veness’s family.

Thibauld De Fayet, corporate communications manager for Al Bank Al Saudi Al Fransi, said Veness had worked in the bank’s Riyadh offices for the last four years as a financial risk manager. Another bank official said Veness was 35 and had lived in Riyadh with his wife and child.

The British Embassy refused to provide further details

But officials called on Britons to exercise caution, including checking their vehicles.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia announced it had arrested a group of 13 people suspected of links to Osama bin Laden’s terror network. Al-Qaida is believed to be behind the Sept. 11 attacks.

The British Embassy, in a warning notice posted on its Web site Wednesday, took note of the arrests.

“This provides a good opportunity to remind you once again of the current advice that British nationals should maintain sensible security precautions and vigilance,” the warning read.

Concerns about anti-Western sentiments have surfaced in the kingdom since the Sept. 11 attacks and the ensuing war on terrorism, which many Saudis see as an assault on Islam.

There have been no reports of violence linked to anti-Western extremists in the kingdom.

Bin Laden is a Saudi exile who has denounced the presence of non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites.

Saudi Arabia has seen a series of blasts similar to Thursday’s explosion. No one has claimed responsibility for those attacks.

Two bombings in Riyadh in late 2000 killed a Briton and injured four other people. A Scottish man was injured in an explosion in Khobar in December 2000. In March 2001, a Briton and an Egyptian were injured in a bombing outside a Riyadh bookstore. In May 2001, an American was seriously injured in Khobar when a package he was opening exploded.

Saudi officials said those blasts arose from disputes between gangs dealing in alcohol, which is forbidden in the kingdom under Islamic laws but is not difficult to obtain.

Five Britons, a Canadian and a Belgian have been arrested in the bombings and are awaiting trial.

On June 5, an Australian employee of British Aerospace in Saudi Arabia escaped unhurt after being fired on five times by a sniper in the northwestern city of Tabuk. That shooting was under investigation.

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AP reporter John R. Bradley contributed to this story from Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.