[S.T.D.]

Special Dispatch - Saudi Arabia/Jihad & Terrorism Studies Project
June 15, 2004
No. 731

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Commander of the Khobar Terrorist Squad Tells the Story of the Operation

The 18th issue of the Al-Qa'ida-identified journal 'Sawt Al-Jihad' included an interview with Fawwaz bin Muhammad Al-Nashami, commander of the Al-Quds Brigade that took responsibility for the May 29 attack at Khobar, Saudi Arabia, in which 22 people were killed. The following are excerpts from the interview1)

Planning the Operation

Sawt Al-Jihad: "Praise be to Allah ... and gratitude be to Him ... and prayer and peace upon him [the Prophet] who, when asked, 'What on the part of man makes the Lord happy?' answered, 'That he [the believer] should engage in face-to-face combat with the enemy while unarmored.'

"With us today is the commander of the Al-Quds Brigade, which carried out the unique qualitative operation in the eastern Arabian Peninsula [i.e. Saudi Arabia], so we can learn details about the operation and what took place during it. First, we want to welcome our brother, and ask him to review for us some of the preparations for this operation."

Al-Nashami: "By the name of Allah, and prayer and peace be upon the Prophet: May Allah bless you. At the battle of Khobar there was no choice but to carry out suicide operations. The brothers, may Allah preserve those who remain alive and receive those who were killed. All took into account that none would return, and that they would fight until they were killed and [thus] realize the idea of plunging themselves into the midst of the enemy. [They thought this] because of the strength of the targets and the tight security around them.

"In effect, the entire place was like [foreign] colonies, as if you were in a Western country, such that you can hardly walk 200 meters before encountering heavy firearms, Hummers, search points, arms, and armed troops.

"Allah be thanked, the brothers met and prepared the plan several days before [the operation]. After dawn prayers, they sat for the final review of the plan. While they were doing this, our brother Abu Hajar [the Al-Qa'ida commander in the Arabian Peninsula Abd Al-'Aziz Al-Muqrin] appointed me commander of the group. I was not qualified for this, but it was a trial from Allah. We met with the brothers and I explained to them the goals and plan of the operation, and I showed them the targets, and we reconnoitered, in addition to a previous reconnaissance, and we learned by heart the paths leading to the sites.

"On the day of the operation, we divided the final tasks. I was the driver of the car; our brother Nimr Al-Baqmi [who was killed in the operation], whom we ask Allah to receive, rode next to me; our brother Hussein was in the back, and our fourth brother Nader was behind Nimr. The car was a Maxima.

"On the night of the operation I booby-trapped the car, and put explosives in it, because the third site, a residential compound, was the most fortified place in all of the eastern zone. The distance between it and the palace of [Prince Turki bin] Muhammad bin Fahd was only 500 meters, and it is known that this is the center of the greatest licentiousness and prostitution. [This area] is very big, and full of villas. This compound is named after [Abd Al-'Aziz] Al-Sani' [but] the truth is that it belongs to Muhammad bin Fahd and this is only a cover.

"Our plan was that when we finish with the first two places, that is, the two oil companies, we will go to the residential compound where the emergency forces will have gathered, and our decision was that I should go in [in the car] and blow up the car amongst them, so as to open the way for the brothers."

Sawt Al-Jihad: "How far was it between those two compounds?"

Al-Nashami: "The compounds were like I had never seen in my life. They are in the Golden Belt area, which is the most luxurious and wealthy area in the eastern district, and it is full of mansions, such that the Emir [of the] eastern [region] lives there. We even saw Marines in uniform going out from these compounds. The compound is some three kilometers by three kilometers, and has a number of gates, that is, it is an enormous expanse."

Sawt Al-Jihad: "And what about the companies?"

Al-Nashami: "The first company was the Arab Oil Investment Company. This is a company belonging to the American company Halliburton. It is involved in Iraq. It is called The Arab Oil Investment Company, but in effect this company is made up of a number of very large global oil companies."

The First Attack: 'We Tied the Infidel by One Leg [Behind the Car]... Everyone Watched the Infidel Being Dragged'

Sawt Al-Jihad: "How did you begin [the operation]?"

Al-Nashami: "We left the apartment at precisely a quarter to six. We drew near the site, and we changed our clothes and belted on the ammunition pouches and weapons. We asked Allah to help us, and make things go easily for us.

"The company [compound] had two gates, and we went to the first. Our brother Nimr and the other brothers went and ordered the guard to open the gate. There was a man behind the gate and the fence. Two security personnel were outside the gate, and one was inside, and he was the one who could open [the gate]. [So] the brothers told him: 'Open the gate!' but he refused. The brothers wanted to break in, but he hid behind the counter.

"We were in a hurry, because we had to finish with this company, and go on to the other [company]. [So] we turned to the second main gate, broke through it, and finished dealing with the guards that were there.

"As soon as we entered, we encountered the car of a Briton, the investment director of the company, whom Allah had sent to his death. He is the one whose mobile phone on the seat of his car, with the blood on it, they kept showing [on television]. We left him in the street.

"We went out, and drove our car. We had tied the infidel by one leg [behind the car]. We left the company [compound] and met the patrols. The first to arrive was the jeep of a patrol, with one soldier, and we killed him. With the rest we exchanged fire, and we got through.

"Allah be thanked, we had learned more than one route to the second site. When the patrols blocked the way, [we] had no chance of returning by the same route, so we went another way - via the coast, and then via Khobar, that is, the Damam highway - a distance of four kilometers.

"The infidel's clothing was torn to shreds, and he was naked in the street. The street was full of people, as this was during work hours, and everyone watched the infidel being dragged, praise and gratitude be to Allah.

"When we arrived at one of the bridges, we encountered an ambush of jeeps of the Tawaghit dogs [i.e. Saudi government troops] and the guards of the Americans, and we exchanged fire with them.(2) When we crossed the bridge, the rope [by which the Briton was tied] snapped and the body of the infidel fell in the middle of the intersection, between the four stop signs, and everyone who was stopped at the stop signs saw the infidel on the day that he fell from the top of the bridge.

"The brothers had exchanged fire with the patrols, all the while shouting, 'Allah Akbar,' and 'There is no God but Allah.'"

The Second Attack: 'We Are Mujahideen, and We Want the Americans... We Shot Him In the Head... We Slit His Throat'

"Allah be thanked, we overran this ambush, and continued on our way to the second company, the Petroleum Center, which is also a compound with a number of companies. We arrived at the gate and got out of the car. Allah be thanked, the brothers were wonderfully calm and serene, as if they were on a hike.

"We entered and found youths from the Arabian Peninsula [i.e. Saudi Arabia] wearing the Aramco uniform. They asked, 'What is going on?' We told them, 'Calm down, don't be afraid, we don't want you. We want only the Americans.'

"The four of us entered the company together. We met the Arab clerks, and greeted them. We asked them: 'Where are the Americans?' They were all in shock, and said: 'What's going on? Who are you?' We told them, 'We are Mujahideen, and we want the Americans. We have not come to aim a weapon at the Muslims, but to purge the Arabian Peninsula, according to the will of our Prophet Muhammad, of the infidels and the polytheists who are killing our brothers in Afghanistan and Iraq. We want you to show us where they are.'

"We turned to go upstairs. The building included a number of companies, and there were a number of doors. Each time we opened a door, we found a large hall, and in it several offices and a head office with a glass window.

"We entered one of the companies' [offices], and found there an American infidel who looked like a director of one of the companies. I went into his office and called him. When he turned to me, I shot him in the head, and his head exploded. We entered another office and found one infidel from South Africa, and our brother Hussein slit his throat. We asked Allah to accept [these acts of devotion] from us, and from him. This was the South African infidel.

"We went out from the company [offices] and found our brother, Nimr the hero, standing at the entrance to the company and guarding us, drinking a little water as though he were on a hike. [He acted this way] because of his great courage - may Allah have mercy on him.