Saudis dismiss UK 145;final stages146; terror attack alert

A senior Saudi diplomat on Tuesday played down a British warning that terrorists could be in the 8220;final stages8221; of planning an att...

A senior Saudi diplomat on Tuesday played down a British warning that terrorists could be in the 8220;final stages8221; of planning an attack in Saudi Arabia. Asked if he accepted the British warning, Abdullah al-Shaghrood, Charge D8217;Affaires at the Saudi Embassy in London, told BBC radio: 8216;8216;That8217;s totally up to them8217;8217;.

The Foreign Office warning came after an announcement from Saudi Arabia on Friday that a car of a wanted militant had been packed with explosives to be used in what it called a criminal act in Riyadh. A Saudi Interior Ministry statement gave a described the car and asked the public to be on alert and pass on information they had on the vehicle.

British Airways has cancelled several flights to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks due to security concerns and on Monday, Britain updated its travel advice, which was already warning against all but essential travel there.

Saying it believed 8216;8216;terrorists remain determined to carry out further attacks8217;8217;, it added: 8216;8216;These may be in the final stages of preparation.8217;8217;

The interview with al-Shaghrood made no mention of the explosives-packed car, about which the Interior ministry had said it had 8216;8216;confirmed information8217;8217;, and embassy officials were not immediately available for further comment.

Al-Shaghrood said authorities were clamping down on terror but called for more international cooperation. 8216;8216;This is an international problem and it should be dealt with within the international community,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;Getting to the root of this problem is not an easy thing.8217;8217;

The country is long suspected of being a key Al Qaeda recruitment centre and suicide bombings in Riyadh last May and November killed more than 50 people. Twenty-three of the 26 most-wanted suspects named by the government in December are still at large, and two weeks ago forces found the latest cache of arms in the capital, including a car bomb and rocket-propelled grenades.