Two major bombings took place in residential compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2003. On 12 May 2003, 39 people were killed, and over 160 wounded when bombs went off at three compounds in Riyadh—Dorrat Al Jadawel, Al Hamra Oasis Village, and the Vinnell Corporation Compound. On 8 November, a bomb was detonated outside the Al-Mohaya housing compound west of Riyadh, killing at least 17 people and wounding 122.
The bombings have been attributed to Islamic extremists as part of a campaign against Westerners and Westernization in Saudi Arabia. They are thought to have been sparked by the stationing of US troops in Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq. Late on 12 May, several vehicles manned by heavily armed assault teams arrived at three Riyadh compounds: The Dorrat Al Jadawel, a compound owned by the London-based MBI International and Partners subsidiary Jadawel International, the Al Hamra Oasis Village, and the Vinnell Corporation Compound, occupied by a Virginia-based defense contractor that was training the Saudi National Guard. All contained large numbers of Americans, Westerners, and non-Saudi Arabs.
Around 11:15 pm, multiple gunmen infiltrated the Al Hamra Oasis Village, a site inhabited mainly by Westerners. They killed the guards at the gate and proceeded to open fire at residents, killing Westerners, non-Saudi Arabs, and Saudis and the assailants then detonated a car bomb. The next attack was at the Jadawel compound, though the assailants failed to gain access to the compound due to the prominent level of security. There was a shootout between security personnel and terrorists on approach to the front gates. The terrorists then detonated a two-ton truck bomb outside the area killing themselves, two security guards and injuring many others.
The final target was the Vinnell compound. The Terrorist Team approached the gate in a sedan, with a pickup truck carrying the explosives following. Those in the sedan shot the Saudi soldiers guarding the gate and then opened the gate for the pickup truck. The truck was driven to the front of one of the residential high rises on the compound, and detonated. At the time, many of the Vinnell employees were away from the compound, supporting an exercise for the National Guard. Seven Americans were killed or died of injuries the night of the attack, along with two Filipino employees. An eighth American died in hospital several days later. Some of the terrorist assault team died when the truck bomb was detonated, and others escaped by climbing over the compound wall.
The FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) consists of a cadre of special agents and professional support personnel who provide expertise in crisis management, hostage rescue, surveillance and aviation, hazardous devices mitigation, crisis negotiations, behavioral analysis, and tactical operations.
Through aggressive training programs, state-of-the-art technologies and equipment, extensive research, and far-reaching partnerships with international, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, CIRG works to successfully resolve critical incidents worldwide and achieve its mission of Readiness, Response, and Resolution. The Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) was established in 1994 to integrate tactical, negotiations, behavioral analysis, and crisis management resources into one cohesive structure to facilitate the FBI’s rapid response to critical incidents. As the Bureau’s mission has expanded over the years, so have CIRG's responsibilities, but the premise behind its formation remains. Today, CIRG, which has a motto of Proventus Per Adparatus—Success Through Readiness—has grown into a “one-stop shop” . CIRG personnel are on call around the clock, seven days a week, ready to assist FBI field divisions and law enforcement partners in pre-crisis planning and response to critical incidents, major investigations, and special events. Through the Strategic Information Operations Center (SIOC), CIRG also facilitates enterprise-wide situational awareness and maintains a platform for critical interface and the dissemination of strategic information. In addition, CIRG provides training programs to FBI field offices and federal, state, local, and international law enforcement partners. With aggressive training programs, state-of-the-art equipment, and expertise in a broad range of tactical and investigative techniques, CIRG is capable of fulfilling its overall mission of “Readiness, Response, and Resolution” to manage critical incidents.
CIRG personnel are on call around the clock, seven days a week, ready to assist FBI field divisions and law enforcement partners in pre-crisis planning and response to critical incidents, major investigations, and special events. Through the Strategic Information Operations Center (SIOC), CIRG also facilitates enterprise-wide situational awareness and maintains a platform for critical interface and the dissemination of strategic information. In addition, CIRG provides training programs to FBI field offices and federal, state, local, and international law enforcement partners. With aggressive training programs, state-of-the-art equipment, and expertise in a broad range of tactical and investigative techniques, CIRG is capable of fulfilling its overall mission of “Readiness, Response, and Resolution” to manage critical incidents.
The Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) was established in 1994 to integrate tactical, negotiations, behavioral analysis, and crisis management resources into one cohesive structure to facilitate the FBI’s rapid response to critical incidents. As the Bureau’s mission has expanded over the years, so have CIRG's responsibilities, but the premise behind its formation remains. Today, CIRG, which has a motto of Proventus Per Adparatus—Success Through Readiness—has grown into a “one-stop shop” that provides expertise in the following fields:
Crisis management;
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Hazardous devices disruption;
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Crisis negotiations;
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Behavioral analysis and assessments;
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Strategic information dissemination;
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Tactical and technical operations;
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Ground and air surveillance;
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Aviation support;
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Special events management; and
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Rapid deployment logistics.
