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American Killed in Saudi Arabia; 1 Missing

Posted on: Saturday, 12 June 2004, 06:00 CDT

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Gunmen killed an American in the Saudi capital Saturday, shooting him as he pulled into his garage at home, witnesses said, in the third slaying of a Westerner in the kingdom in a week.

Also Saturday, a statement purported to be from al-Qaida claimed that it had kidnapped an American citizen in Riyadh, and the U.S. Embassy confirmed that it was working with local authorities to locate him.

"We do have reports of a missing American," the Embassy spokesperson said. "We are working with local authorities to find him and are in touch with his family."

She said he went missing Saturday, but would not identify him.

The al-Qaida statement that appeared late Saturday on an Islamic Web site showed a passport-size photo of a brown-haired man and a business card with the name Paul M. Johnson.

The statement said the group would deal with the hostage just as "the Americans dealt with our brothers in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib."

The American who was killed was shot in the back by three militants as he drove his car into the garage in Riyadh's Malaz district, witnesses told The Associated Press. The militants then moved in and fired more shots from a short distance, they said.

It was the latest in a series of militant attacks that many believe aims to drive foreigners out of the kingdom, setting back the vital oil sector.

An estimated 8.8 million foreigners work among 17 million Saudis in the kingdom, mostly in oil, banking and other high-level businesses.

The chief of police in Riyadh said a "resident holding the American nationality" was killed in the capital's Malaz district Saturday afternoon, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

A U.S. Embassy spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "We confirm that there was an American killed this evening in Riyadh."

U.S. Ambassador James C. Oberwetter, in a statement reacting to the shooting death of the American and other recent terrorist attacks, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

"Those Americans who choose to remain here should exercise the utmost caution as they go about their daily life," Oberwetter said.

"I applaud Saudi Arabia's determination to bring an end to terrorism in the kingdom," he added.

The Saudi government, which launched a high-profile campaign against terrorists after suicide bombings last year, has blamed the attacks on people inspired by, or belonging to, the al-Qaida terror network led by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.

Terror experts have noted that the militants are using several tactics - including shootings and ambushes where the gunmen do not die - rather than limiting themselves to suicide bombings or swift attacks under the cover of darkness.

They are also trying to avoid killing Muslims. The death of several Muslims and Arabs in a November compound attack in Riyadh horrified many Muslims - something that could seriously affect recruiting efforts.

In a May 29 claimed by al-Qaida, militants stormed a housing complex in the eastern oil hub of Khobar in a rampage and hostage standoff in which 22 people were killed, mostly foreign oil workers.

On Tuesday, an American who worked for a U.S. defense contractor was shot and killed. Last Sunday, an Irish cameraman was killed and a British TV correspondent was critically wounded when fired on while filming in a neighborhood that is home to many Islamic militants.

On May 22, a German chef was shot and killed outside a bank in Riyadh. The offices of an American energy company also were attacked on May 1 in the western city of Yanbu, killing six Westerners and a Saudi.

The United States has urged all its citizens to leave the kingdom and the British Foreign Office has advised Britons against all nonessential travel to Saudi Arabia.

The United States has urged all its citizens to leave the kingdom and the British Foreign Office has advised Britons against all nonessential travel to Saudi Arabia.

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