Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

I felt very safe in Saudi until recently, but the last few weeks have me a little concerned:

- sunnis shooting large numbers of shias in the eastern province this week with follow up killings in qassim
- 2 vinnell americans being shot in riyadh, 1 dead and rumours that it was a "random" attack (not job related as claimed by authorities)
- loads of new police checkpoints near compounds in recent weeks. I assume they are there for a reason,
- ISIS emerging in Syria/Iraq and stirring discntent in saudi.
- USA air strikes in Syria.
- stories of arrests and foiled plots in recent weeks/months.

I hope I am just being paranoid but I do feel slightly nervous. Please reassure me!

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

I don't think big cities in Saudi are more dangerous than those in other countries. Quite the opposite, in fact. I'd be surprised if anyone could name a city or big conurbation that us murder or violent crime free.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

More chances to be killed US schools nowadays than anywhere in Saudi Arabia:
List of school shootings in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

To be fair it wouldn't be too hard to pick off a Westerner or two in or around Riyadh. A few of the ex-pat guys I knocked around with when I was there seemed to have little concern for security.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

yeah you can't be too careful. You should be really worried.

To help with that, I have with some suggestions:

• limit your reading to only news reports associated with crime and violence, preferably only in Saudi and it's immediate neighbours. What you want to avoid is any sense of balance or objective comparison.
• While you read, take mangeable quantities of casualties like "5" and replace them with vague but far more serious quantities, like "large numbers" or "loads".
• Take each incident and assume that it is the rule, not the exception
• Do not consider each of these incidents in isolation. There are always causal factors that link each with another. You just need to look hard enough.
• Above all, as you live and work in Saudi, try to do so without leaving home and report any suspicious characters you see to the police immediately, especially if they have dark skin.

That should do it.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

A guy was killed in Wales, should I worry when I go to scotland?

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

From what I am hearing, this explanation is not accurate in certain respects. I try to avoid paranoia, but 4 relatively major incidents in 10 days (including a mostly unreported shootout near to Ikea in Riyadh on the East Ring Road) coupled with the regional political situation is a concern. There are a lot of extremists here and most compound security setups are not perfect. Hopefully things will settle down soon.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

no but you should definitely avoid any location called Corniche as not only does this start with the same letter as the Welsh capital, it also has two syllables.

Coincidence? I think not.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

A danish expat was shot and injured near Ikea in Riyadh today. Confirmed by US embassy. :(

Danish Citizen Injured in Gun Attack in Riyadh, SPA Reports - Bloomberg

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

I have noticed a few more police checkpoints on the roads recently around Riyadh. But it seems like they are either looking for illegals or checking that young Saudis have driving licenses etc

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Certainly increased security at the British and US consulate here in Jeddah, also I notice an increased presence at some of the compounds....do I worry, nah.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Any further news on this? Hope it wanst one of the Henning Larssen guys. I wasn't tempting fate with my previous post :ohmy:

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Scary...

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

This isn't great stuff either..

Saudi Arabia says ISIL ordered attack in Eastern Province - Arabian Business

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Saudis Link Deadly Attack to Islamic State - WSJ

Thats cleared a few of them up never to be seen again..

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Another incident. Westerner stabbed in a Dhahran mall this time.
The police are saying that they are investigating each case separately, but surely they should be looking at the bigger picture..

Fourth Western expat attacked in Saudi Arabia

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

yep.. Canadian this time. He's in hospital.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Not trying to profile, but is he "Caucasian" Canadian?

Half of Jordanian/Lebanese/Syrians in the Middle East have a Canadian passport.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Lebanese, Jordanian and Syrians are Caucasian.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

What do Russians have to do with it? http://goo.gl/maps/mDkp3
:sarcasm:

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

OK. I just meant that for an ISIS related attack, a (Muslim) Jordanian with a Canadian passport is not equal to a Christian white Canadian... if you see what I mean.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Another development: whoever shot the Danish guy in Riyadh last week filmed it and posted the video on youtube today. Looks like it happened on the Al Kharj road quite a way south of Ikea:

Isis supporters: We shot Dane in Saudi Arabia - The Local

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

There was an unreported attack on a Dutch guy on the Dammam Road in Riyadh yesterday - someone forced his car off the road but apparently he got away.

Also - and quite a way away from Saudi - but an American woman was stabbed to death in a mall in Abu Dhabi yesterday. They've arrested the alleged attacker, who apparently had a stash of bombs in her house.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/wo...a-ryan-n261356

Worriness levels increasing from my end.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

People trying to force you off the road is an everyday occurrence here though, don't think you can read too much into that.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Well sort of greasy Caucasian, not proper Caucasian

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

They to the Caucasian world, what Fray Bentos is to the pie world.

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

Fray Bentos has a kind of Hispanic twang to it

Re: Security situation in Saudi. Shoul I worry?
 

er... that's cos it is. Well, South American Hispanic anyway... a town and meat pie company in Uruguay