P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

JEDDAH, 15 May 2004 — Al-Qaeda yesterday claimed responsibility for the attack on a petrochemical facility in Yanbu that killed five Western engineers and a National Guard officer.

A statement purporting to be from the Al-Qaeda chief in the Kingdom said the attack on May 1 was carried out by the organization’s Yanbu cell, describing it as a “heroic, successful operation.”

The authenticity of the statement, attributed to Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin and posted on an Islamist website, could not be independently confirmed.

Four gunmen went on a shooting rampage in the industrial city of Yanbu, killing two Americans, two Britons and an Australian.

“Our brother Abu Ammar Mustafa Al-Ansari... was from the cream of the Mujahedeen, having waged jihad in Afghanistan and Somalia,” said the message allegedly written by Muqrin, who tops a list of most-wanted militants.

Saudi authorities have identified the leader of the Yanbu assailants, all from the same family, as Mustafa Abdul Qader Al-Ansari, and Interior Minister Prince Naif has said he believes Al-Qaeda was behind the Yanbu attack.

The Kingdom has charged that Ansari had past links with two London-based Saudi dissidents, Saad Al-Faqih and Mohammed Al-Masaari, while not ruling out Al-Qaeda involvement.

Commenting on the alleged involvement of dissidents, a British Foreign Office spokesman said: “We take very seriously that individuals in the UK may have been involved. We are looking carefully at this information.

“If there is credible information that they were involved in financing terrorism and if British laws have been broken we will take action. We have strict laws in the UK that prohibit the incitement of terrorism that we enforce rigorously.”

Al-Muqrin’s statement also said the terror network was helping Iraqis fight US forces and receiving their backing in return.