P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News Staff

JEDDAH, 2 December 2003 — Two Saudis carried out the Nov. 8 suicide bombing of a residential compound in Riyadh, which killed at least 18 people, the Interior Ministry announced yesterday.

A ministry spokesman said the bombers, identified by DNA testing, were Ali ibn Hamid Al-Maabadi Al-Harbi and Nasser ibn Abdullah ibn Nasser Al-Sayyari. Both had been on the government’s wanted list, he said.

The statement, which was read on Saudi television, gave the first detailed official account of the attack.

It said the attackers drove up to the compound gates in a car at 12 p.m., throwing hand grenades and shooting at the guards. Then a jeep, rigged with 300 kg of explosives and painted with the insignia of security forces, entered the compound.

“Then it was blown up in a suicide operation,” the official said.

Authorities also found the rest house in Dar Al-Baida district where they say the attack was planned and the car painted.

“Investigators identified the people behind the operation and we are still taking measures to track them down,” the official added.

“Security forces are still hunting the perpetrators, and God willing they will be found and brought to justice,” the spokesman said.

The authorities said that last week they foiled an even bigger attack than the Nov. 8 bombing when security forces in the capital found a car primed with over 1.2 tons of explosives.