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Friday, Nov. 7, 2003

A warden message posted on the embassy's Web site said the missions would assess their "security posture."

They will then advise the American community when the review is completed and when the U.S. missions in Riyadh, the seaside city of Jiddah and Dhahran in the Eastern province plan to resume normal operations.

The embassy said it had received "credible information that terrorists in Saudi Arabia have moved from the planning to operational phase of planned attacks in the kingdom."

"The embassy strongly urges all American citizens in the kingdom to be especially vigilant when in any area that is perceived to be American or Western," the statement said.

Strange Way to Celebrate 'Holy' Ramadan

In October, the embassy urged Americans in Saudi Arabia to be vigilant during the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which ends later this month.

On Monday, Saudi police uncovered a cell believed linked to al-Qaida network in the holy city of Mecca. Police believe the cell had planned to carry out attacks during Ramadan.

The alert came a day after two suspected militants, believed to be members of the Mecca cell, blew themselves up in the holy city to avoid arrest. A third suspect was killed in a shootout with security forces in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

The Saudi government launched a nationwide security crackdown following the May 12 attacks on Western compounds in Riyadh. About 600 suspects believed linked to al-Qaida have been arrested since the May attacks, which killed 35 people, including the nine attackers.

© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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