In an address to the nation after four major bomb blasts in the capital killed 30 innocent people and injured 194 others, Prince Abdullah said: “The bloody and painful events in Riyadh... have once again proved that the terrorists are criminals and butchers.”

“I pledge to my fellow citizens and to the friends who live among us that the state will be vigilant about their security and well-being. Our nation is capable, by the grace of God and the unity of its citizens, to confront and destroy the threat posed by a deviant few and those who support them,” he said.

Prince Abdullah said the criminals behind the bombings were mistaken if they believed that their crime would “shake even a single hair” of the nation. “If they think that they can undermine the security and tranquility of our nation, they are dreaming,” he said.

In his televised address, the crown prince said the bombings also showed the terrorists’ total disregard for any Islamic and humanitarian principles. “They have abandoned all moral values and become vicious monsters whose only intent is to spill blood and terrorize peaceful people,” he added.

He emphasized that the Kingdom would not allow a few people to undermine its security. “These painful incidents should wake up the unwary, bring those who are deceived to their senses and return things to the right course. There are only a few deviants and criminals who try to attack this society,” he said.

He said the Saudi people stand united in condemning this malicious act. “They will disown the perpetrators behind the bombings and defend this country — the cradle of peace and Arabism — with all their might,” he stated.

Prince Abdullah reaffirmed that the Saudi people who have accepted the Holy Qur’an as their system and the Shariah as their way of life would never be disturbed by such criminal incidents.

“They will stand firm by their leadership and will not allow a few corrupt people to spill the blood of the innocent... and terrorize children and women,” he said. Prince Abdullah said all Saudi people would fight terrorists alongside the security personnel.

The crown prince also warned that those who sympathize with terrorists and try to find justification for their acts in the name of religion would be considered accomplices. “We say that anyone who tries to do so will be considered a full accomplice to the terrorists and will meet the same fate,” the prince said.

Prince Abdullah quoted verses from the Holy Qur’an that prohibit killing of innocent people and said they did not require interpretation.

“These revelations... provide clear evidence that these murderers are damned on earth and the fury of Hell will befall them in the hereafter,” the prince said.

Earlier, Prince Abdullah visited the Vinnell residential compound, one of the sites targeted by terrorists on Monday, as well as the injured who are receiving treatment at King Fahd National Guard Hospital. He was accompanied by princes and senior officials including Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and Riyadh Governor Prince Salman.

Prince Abdullah, meanwhile, received telephone calls from world leaders including French President Jacques Chirac, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan’s King Abdallah, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, who condemned the Riyadh blasts.

Interior Minister Prince Naif said the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers linked to the Al-Qaeda network. “These explosions were suicide bombings, which are unprecedented in the Kingdom,” the prince told Okaz daily. “They are linked to the terror cell uncovered in Riyadh last week,” he pointed out.

The minister also said in statements to Al-Watan daily that orders had been issued to raise the security alert throughout the Kingdom.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who arrived in the Kingdom just hours after the blasts, told reporters in Riyadh that 10 Americans and many more foreigners were among the dead.

Powell condemned the “cowardly individuals who sneaked in the middle of the night to kill innocent civilians.” Powell said he would be discussing with the Saudi authorities “how we can redouble our efforts to go after terrorism.”