US urges Americans to quit Saudi Arabia

An estimated 35,000 Americans have been working in Saudi Arabia and it was unclear how many have left since the increase in attacks, which have come at the same time the Bush administration has been pressing the Saudis to boost oil production to help lower gas prices in the United States.

Referring to US workers in Saudi Arabia, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said, "We first and foremost have a responsibility to Americans. We need to give them our best advice on how to handle any particular situation overseas."

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

"As far as the maintenance and continued flow of oil and the economy in Saudi Arabia, that is something I think the Saudis will have to describe, what provisions they can make and how they can operate those facilities."

He would not say how many American workers had chosen to remain in Saudi Arabia as part of the kingdom's huge expatriate work force.

"In this kind of situation, we feel that giving out numbers just identifies how many potential targets there might be," Boucher said.

The US government is in close touch with Saudi authorities investigating the apparent kidnapping of the latest American victim, Paul M. Johnson of New Jersey, who worked on radar systems of Apache helicopters for Advanced Electronics Co., Boucher said. The Saudi firm has US defence giant Lockheed Martin among its customers.