Saudi Arabia terror plan attack on U.S embassy disrupted

Saudi Arabia announced the arrest of 93 suspected terrorists with ties to ISIS Tuesday, including two who were allegedly planning a car bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh.

Other potential targets for some of those arrested included residential compounds and prisons.

Authorities said that the potential suicide car bombing at the Embassy involved three individuals -- a Saudi national and two Syrian nationals residing in a Gulf state. The plot was uncovered Mar 13. and authorities took precautions at the Embassy and surrounding area before arresting two suspects the next day.

The timing of the alleged attack coincides with a U.S. decision to halt all consular services for a week starting March 15 at the Embassy and diplomatic missions in Jiddah and Dhahran.

The list of targets recalls a wave of attacks launched by Al Qaeda inside the kingdom from 2004 to 2007, which killed dozens of people, including foreigners, and threatened the stability of one of the world's most important oil-producing nations. Saudi Arabia is also home to Islam's holiest sites, in Mecca and Medina.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki told the Associated Press there have been five ISIS-related attacks across the kingdom in recent months that have killed 15 civilians and security personnel. But he said Saudis have largely ignored ISIS’s calls to take up arms against their government and attack the Shiite minority, security forces and foreigners living in the kingdom.

"We do have a number of people who do respond to such calls and do try to carry out such terrorist organizations' orders, but these people do not represent the Saudi population, do not represent the 20 million Saudis," he said in remarks to the AP a day before the announcement of the arrests, which took place over several months.