Hundreds of tearful mourners attended a memorial service Friday for five Americans killed in a bombing that shattered the tranquil life of U.S. expatriates in Saudi Arabia.
With the American flag fluttering at half-staff, friends and relatives flocked to the sprawling U.S. Embassy compound for the private ceremony in a garden behind high walls.Non-Americans and the media were not allowed to attend.
The bodies of the five Americans killed in Monday's explosion were put on a flight to the United States a few hours before the mid-morning ceremony. They arrived at Dover Air Force Base about 5 a.m. this morning, said Staff Sgt. Michael Dorsey, a spokesman for the base in Delaware.
In all, six people were killed and about 60 were injured in the bombing of a U.S.-run military training facility in the heart of the capital, Riyadh.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman said about 1,000 Americans, mainly friends and relatives of the victims, attended today's memorial service, where U.S. Ambassador Raymond Mabus read a message from President Clinton.
The embassy released a text of the message, in which Clinton said:
"The thoughts and prayers of all Americans go out to you in this moment of sorrow.
"The United States is determined to stand against terrorism, to track down those who commit acts of barbarism against innocent men and women and to bring them to justice.
"We as a nation mourn their loss and pray for those injured by this tragic act. This week's attack is a futile effort to derail our effort on behalf of peace and security . . . It will not succeed."
The three-story office building destroyed by Monday's blast was the headquarters for a U.S. Army program that provides American military and civilian advisers to help train the Saudi Arabian National Guard.
The United States has sent 19 FBI experts to assist the Saudis in their search for clues. There have been no reports of arrests.
Suspicion has focused on Saudi dissidents frustrated with the government's heavy-handed policies toward its critics, and Muslim fundamentalists seeking to drive American forces out of the gulf.