Children's toys litter Saudi bombed compound

Shattered concrete and children's toys littered the road dividing two rows of collapsed villas. Sofas, baths and beds spilled into the open from wrecked homes in the Muhaya compound in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

"Oh God, this is unbelievable, heartbreaking," cried a young Lebanese businessman who moved into the compound only four months ago.

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Diplomats said the powerful midnight bombing, blamed by a Saudi security source on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, probably killed between 20 to 30 people.

"I feel like I am lost. Everything is gone," said the businessman, who asked not to be named. "I survived the Lebanese war for 10 years and I never saw anything like this."

"I know a lot of beautiful people who left their homeland to build a future here."

Residents of Muhaya on the desert outskirts of west Riyadh were predominantly Lebanese, with a smattering of other Arab nationalities.

"There was an amazing, beautiful community spirit. We lived together and prayed together. It was unbelievable," said the businessman.

Another resident, a Jordanian who identified himself only as Alaa, reported heavy gunfire before the blast. "I heard shots, many shots, and then one big explosion."

Saudi officials said the attack matched suicide bombings in Riyadh sixth months ago when militants stormed Western compounds with gunfire before detonating powerful bombs. Authorities blamed al- Qaeda for those attacks.