Hostage Incident Continues in Saudi, 16 Already Killed

[BEER980]

KHOBAR, SAUDI ARABIA: Reports from that region indicate that a terror assault on several oil company complexes in Saudi Arabia today has still not ended at the time of this report. Terrorists are thought to be holding more than 30 hostages, including several Westerners. Explosions and gunfire could be heard as a tense stand-off continued at the six-story Oasis housing compound where the gunmen and their captives were barricaded.

[janswizard]

I also heard that many of the hostages are children. Geraldo was on Fox earlier and said that it would be unlikely the hostages will survive this since these terrorists would just as soon die than submit.

He also alluded to the fact that this situation has some very serious consequences - namely, the possible fall of the House of Saud. I don't know what source he was quoting but said something to the effect that it's doubtful the House of Saud will survive until the end of the year. I think Geraldo is going to cover this on his show this evening.

[BEER980]

Well if the House of Saud does fall the we have some major problems.

[Stephanie]

Hmmm, first sulphur in the gas and now an attack on Saudi oil companies.

I hope those animals don't harm the children!!!

[BEER980]

Gee I wonder what oil will trade at on Tuesday? I would say get used to $2 a gallon gas because I don't think it will go away any time soon.

[rainstorm]

i am sure we have a plan to seize the oil fields. geraldo is over dramatizing as usual.

[RDove]

They stormed in and the hostage takers killed 11 people including an American, Britian, and 10 year old boy.

[janswizard]

Apparently, it's over. Saudis were able to apprehend the terrorists. Most of the hostages were released although the Saudis aren't releasing any information yet about the condition of the hostages.

Last night, Prince Sultan asked that the Saudi's be allowed to handle this the way they have trained to. It looks like they did a good job in the end. This could have been a nightmare scenario under other circumstances.

Even at that, there are fears that the Saudi's aren't going to be able to hold on much longer and their oil is at stake. Financial analyists are worried that come Tuesday morning when the market opens, the price of a barrel of oil could skyrocket. If we thought we were paying too much for gas now, wait until next week.

I don't know what we are doing here in the United States to find alternate sources of fuel but whatever it is, it's a process that's taking much too long. Without oil and the byproducts it brings us, it won't be long before our economy is completely crippled.

[BEER980]

i am sure we have a plan to seize the oil fields. geraldo is over dramatizing as usual.

If we tried to seize the oil fields it would look really bad to the world.

[rainstorm]

i mean if terrorists topple the saudi govt. and i dont see oil "soaring" in price at all. geraldo was, as usual, in ultra hype mode. this was an amatuerish terrorist attack. the saudis did a great job in killing them. and i am sure, if they have any suspects in custody, they are right now being brutally tortured to get more info.

[streetsoldier]

Strangely, I heard Mansoor Ijaz "lay it all out" yesterday on FoxNews; Al Qaida wants to foment a civil war within Saudi Arabia, remove the Saudi royal family, then make it a Taliban-style theocracy...and deny the West access to its petroleum fields.

Look at the major attacks over the years...most of them are ultimately aimed at disrupting or destroying Western economic infrastructure, acording to Ijaz.

[Lindaloo]

If we tried to seize the oil fields it would look really bad to the world.

I disagree... I would love to hear your thinking as to why this would look bad to the world.

[rainstorm]

who cares what the world thinks? i dont. i already know. the "world" hates our guts. as far as oil prices soaring, i dont see that at all. it was a small, isolated attack.

[Stephanie]

Lindaloo - it will just feed into the thought that the Iraq war is all about oil. That's a thought that reasonates world-wide.

The Saudis usually do handle conflict like this very well. The main theme in Al Qaeda's plan was to disrupt the US's economy. They thought that it would happen with 9/11 and it has not. They are now taking advantage (though I'm sure that this was in the works for some time) of the high crude oil prices and the affects it's having on the nations.

Janswizard - finding alternative sources of fuel has never been a "priority". We kept bowing to the oil companies wishes.

[janswizard]

i mean if terrorists topple the saudi govt. and i dont see oil "soaring" in price at all. geraldo was, as usual, in ultra hype mode. this was an amatuerish terrorist attack. the saudis did a great job in killing them. and i am sure, if they have any suspects in custody, they are right now being brutally tortured to get more info.

There are more people than just Geraldo saying the same thing on more than just the FOX network. I guess we'll see when the markets open Tuesday.

[BEER980]

Lindaloo Saudi Arabia is sitting on 25% of the worlds crude oil. Some countries like us, some tolerate us and some just hate us. It would not take too much of an imagination to spin it like we came for the oil. First we invade Afghanistan then Iraq then SA. We have threatened Iran and Syria as well. I doubt AL JAZEERA TV would report on us being there to keep the peace until a new government could take over. We have to keep the love/hate scale balanced. China alone can ruin our economy real fast if they wanted to. They are doing it to some extent right now with the price of oil. You might see something with Iran real soon too if the threat against the US I have been reading about comes true.

janswizard I sent you a PM.

[azsnowman]

Janswizard - finding alternative sources of fuel has never been a "priority". We kept bowing to the oil companies wishes.

Ya know, I heard the most RIDICULOUS remark just the other from Senator John McCain of Az, he said to eleveate this current fuel crisis, we need to invest in more nuclear energy! Now HOW IN THE HADES investing in NUCLEAR POWER help with the "gasoline" crisis What a STUPID remark, I don't EVEN lay claim to him

Dennis

[nystate]

who cares what the world thinks? i dont. i already know. the "world" hates our guts. as far as oil prices soaring, i dont see that at all. it was a small, isolated attack.

Have you ever been outside the US? If you have, then you should realize how much the world matters. The "world" tends to like the USA and its people, they just disagree with the governments foreign policy. For example, a German magazine ("Der Spiegel," I believe) has the June cover story about American soldiers in World War II. The title of the story; "How the Americans Saved Europe." This is just one example of the way the rest of the world feels about us.

Also, oil prices went up after a previous and similar attack this month in Saudi Arabia. This attack was more severe, so I would expect more of the same.

[rainstorm]

wont happen.
europe is becoming more anti-semitic every day.

[nystate]

wont happen.
europe is becoming more anti-semitic every day.

I agree with you that Europe is becoming very anti-semitic, but what exactly "won't happen?"