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| International |
| Soddies slur dead Briton |
| 2002-06-21 |
| Friends of Simon Veness, the British banker killed by a bomb placed in his Land Rover in Riyadh yesterday, blamed the attack on Islamic militants. But the Saudi authorities said it was the work of illegal expatriate alcohol traders. The attack was similar to seven earlier bombings that Saudi authorities blame on a feud among Westerners dealing in illegal alcohol. They have arrested five Britons, a Belgian and a Canadian. Two of the Westerners are reported to be facing the death penalty after making televised confessions to some of the attacks. These were retracted on the grounds that they had been obtained by torture. "We suspect that the explosion which killed Mr Veness has to do with alcohol smuggling because it is similar to a previous explosion that occurred in Riyadh," said a Saudi security official. But friends of Mr Veness were adamant that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. "He was an absolute gentleman," said one western friend. "It is inconceivable that he had any connection either to those under arrest or to alcohol smuggling. He had the highest moral standards." Another neighbour said: "Everybody knows that the alcohol claim is a smoke-screen. This was a terrorist attack against a western national." Yeah. You know those Westerners. They're excitable, always setting bombs and shooting at people. And when they're off their alk for awhile, they get worse. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |