Khobar
| Khobar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Coordinates | 26 ° 17 ' N , 50 ° 13' E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Saudi Arabia | ||
| al-Sharqiyyah | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | SA-04 | ||
| Residents | 219,276 (2010 Census) | ||
| Post Code | (CEP) 31952 | ||
| Website | www.e-amana.gov.sa | ||
| politics | |||
| mayor | Issam Al-Mulla | ||
| Others | |||
Khobar , also al-Khobar or al-Chubar ( Arabic الخُبر, DMG al-Ḫubar ), is a city in eastern Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf , about 400 km northeast of the capital Riyadh . The population is around 220,000, together with the neighboring cities of ad-Dammam and Dhahran , over a million people live in the region. The largest employer in the area is the Saudi oil giant Aramco , one of the largest oil companies in the world.
Attack in 1996
On June 25, 1996, Hezbollah bombed a building inhabited by American military personnel. Although guards realized the danger posed by the tanker truck filled with explosives and began evacuating the home, 19 young people died and hundreds were injured. A US federal judge ruled in 2006 that the Iranian government was responsible for the attack and ordered Iran to pay US $ 254 million to the survivors of the victims.
Hostage situation in 2004
On May 29, 2004, 22 people were killed in a hostage situation in the city . Armed attackers stormed two residential complexes mostly inhabited by western foreigners and took 50 people hostage - mainly citizens of western industrialized countries. Saudi special forces ended the hostage-taking bloody day afterwards. Most of the kidnappers were killed when they stormed the building, but three terrorists managed to escape. The terrorist organization al-Qaeda claimed responsibility on the Internet for the attack, which is directed against US companies that would steal Muslim mineral resources .
Individual evidence
- ^ United States District Court. Eastern District of Virginia. Alexandria Division (PDF). The National Security Archive. June 2001, accessed September 29, 2016.
- ↑ Carol D. Leonnig: Iran Held Liable In Khobar Attack. The Washington Post . December 23, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.