Saudi prince escapes assassination attempt

A senior Saudi prince who is largely credited for the countrys anti-terrorism campaign has survived a suicide attack in his office in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabias deputy interior minister in charge of security, escaped with only minor injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up just before going into a gathering of well-wishers for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It was the first known assassination attempt against a member of the royal family since Saudi Arabia began its crackdown on al-Qaeda affiliated militants eight years ago following the September 11 terror attacks in the US. According to a local news agency, the militant who attacked Prince Mohammed had previously expressed his intention to give himself up to the official. It is customary for senior members of the royal family to hold regular open gatherings where citizens can air grievances seek settlement of financial or other disputes or offer congratulations. The prince, who is the son of Interior Minister Prince Nayef, was discharged from the hospital and nobody else was seriously injured. The prince was later visited by King Abdullah. The Interior Ministry has spearheaded the kingdom's aggressive campaign against terrorism, one that has intensified since militants first struck in the kingdom in May 2003. The country is the birthplace of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and was home to 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers. Earlier this month, authorities announced the arrest of 44 suspected militants with al-Qaeda links in a yearlong sweep that also uncovered dozens of machine guns and electronic circuits for bombs. Last month, Saudi officials said a Saudi criminal court had convicted and sentenced 330 al-Qaeda militants to jail terms, fines and travel bans in the country's first known trials for suspected members of the terror group. The 330 are believed to be among the 991 suspected militants that the interior minister has said have been charged with participating in terrorist attacks over the past five years.