With U.S. and British diplomats warning of possible new terror
attacks in Saudi Arabia, police said yesterday they arrested a
suspect in a recent suicide car bombing and seized an arsenal -
AK-47 assault rifles, explosives, grenade launchers and a
surface-to-air missile.

The arrest was the first in the bombing of the Muhaya housing
compound in the capital Riyadh on Nov. 8, which killed 17 people
and wounded more than 120. American and Saudi officials blamed the
attack the al-Qaida terrorist network of Osama bin Laden, a Saudi
exile.

The Saudi Interior Ministry, in charge of the kingdom's police,
issued a statement saying the suspected Islamic militant was found
hiding with the cache of weapons and "pamphlets inciting terrorist
acts." It said the man was arrested a week ago but that his
identity would not be revealed to protect the investigation.

"Searches and investigations are continuing to arrest all those
related to this terror cell," the statement said.

The cache seized with the suspect included a SAM-7
surface-to-air missile capable of downing a plane at low altitude;
20 high explosive hand grenades; 89 electrical detonators; blocks
of explosives; six booby-trapped mobile phones; three computers;
and Saudi currency worth $354,000.

The arrest comes with tensions high in the Saudi capital after
attacks on foreign housing compounds in May, the November attack.
There has also been a renewal in American and British warnings this
week of possible new attacks on housing compounds for
foreigners.

The U.S. Embassy warning issued Tuesday said one compound in
Riyadh has been under "active surveillance" by terrorists and that
other housing complexes may also be targeted.

Spokeswoman Carol Kalin said the embassy had barred its American
employees and dependents from visiting housing compounds in the
Saudi capital between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. except on official
business.

Yesterday, an Interior Ministry official criticized the latest
U.S. warning as mere speculation.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said such
warnings should be issued "in cooperation with Saudi authorities or
else they would lead to disorder and fear within those living in
Saudi Arabia."

Saudi Arabia has been under pressure to show it is more active
in the battle against terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks, in
which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

The pressure has increased with the bombings in the Saudi
capital since May.

The latest attack, in November, shocked many in the Arab world
because the complex attacked did not house Westerners but Arabs and
other Muslims working in the kingdom.

Officials said the attack showed the terrorists would even
attack their own people to try to oust the Saudi royal family.

In that attack, two assailants - identified later as Saudis -
drove a jeep disguised as a police vehicle into the compound and
detonated its explosives.

The bombing was preceded by warnings of a pending terrorist
attack issued by the Australian, British and U.S. embassies in
Riyadh.

In May, Islamic suicide bombers attacked three compounds for
foreigners in Riyadh, detonating vehicle bombs that killed 35
people including the nine assailants.

After the attacks, security forces detained about 600 suspects,
of whom nearly 200 were soon released.

The attacks generated considerable soul-searching among Saudi
intellectuals, with some newspaper columnists saying the strict
interpretation of Islam followed in schools and mosques could have
contributed to the militancy.

The government responded by announcing new guidelines for mosque
sermons and promising to allow citizens to vote in municipal
elections - a first in a kingdom that has no parliament.