"The ruthless murder of American citizens and other citizens remind us that the war on terror continues," said Bush

WORLD CAPITALS, May 13 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Political and religious leaders across the world on Tuesday, May 12, voiced outrage at the bombing attacks on expatriate compounds in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, which reportedly claimed the lives of as many as 90 people, and vowed to hunt down those responsible.

U.S. President George W. Bush denounced the "ruthless murder" of victims in the bombings and vowed to hunt down those responsible.

"The ruthless murder of American citizens and other citizens remind us that the war on terror continues," said Bush, who launched that global campaign after the September 11, 2001, strikes in the United States.

"These despicable acts were committed by killers whose only faith is hate, and the United States will find the killers and they will learn the meaning of American justice."

Bush learned of the attacks shortly after they took place late Monday, May 12, and has received regular briefings from National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice since, according to an administration official.

U.S. State Department officials said more than 90 people, including 10 to 12 U.S. citizens, were killed in the attacks, which U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said bore "all the fingerprints" of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

"My thoughts and prayers, and those of our fellow citizens, are with the families of the victims of yesterday's murder in Saudi Arabia. We pray for them. We mourn the loss of life," Bush said in a speech to cheering supporters.

The Saudi Interior Ministry had earlier said at least 29 people were killed, including nine bombers and seven Americans, and 194 injured in the blasts.

"Horrific Attack"

"Thankfully, the number of British injured at this stage is thought to be relatively small, " said Blair

British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday condemned the three blasts in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, as Britain's Foreign Office advised its nationals against "non-essential" travel to the Middle Eastern country.

"The prime minister strongly condemns this horrific attack and has expressed his sympathy for the families of all those who have been killed or injured," Blair's official spokesman said.

"Thankfully, the number of British injured at this stage is thought to be relatively small. From the knowledge as we have it this appears to illustrate the indiscriminate nature of these attacks," he added.

"If the aim is to kill Americans, Americans were killed and that is an outrage, but so were more people from different nationalities, among them Muslims and that's equally an outrage."

Blair's spokesman said the blasts underlined the need once more for international security co-operation and to address the Middle East peace process.

"What these terrorists do not want is political progress (in the Middle East) since they know that will rob them of the issue which they exploit," he said.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, on a visit to South Africa, lashed out at those responsible for the bombings, calling them "unwarranted attacks of terrorism".

Straw said he was awaiting further information, but added that British and Saudi officials were working closely to catch those responsible.

"The bombings were unwarranted attacks of terrorism," Straw told reporters in Soweto township, southwest of Johannesburg.

"We condemn such inhumane actions in the strongest possible terms," the local SAPA news agency quoted him as saying.

Britain's Foreign Office followed up Straw's condemnation by advising its nationals against non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia.

"Following three suicide bomb attacks in Riyadh on May 12, there remains a high threat of further large- or small-scale attacks against Western interests in Saudi Arabia," the statement said.

British defense and aerospace giant BAE Systems, which has a strong presence in Saudi Arabia, said it had no plans to withdraw staff from the kingdom.

"We've had a relationship with Saudi Arabia for 35 years now. We have a contract and we intend to continue with it," said BAE Systems spokesman Mike Sweeney.

"We will follow Foreign Office advice and we're only allowing essential business travel," he added.

None of the company's staff were injured in the attacks, Sweeney added.

Annan Deplores

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan deplored the attacks which killed as many as 144 people in Russia and Saudi Arabia, saying they were vicious acts against religion.

"Over the past 24 hours, the world has had to bear witness, yet again, to heinous acts of terrorism," Annan said in a statement.

"In both the Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia, many innocent people, going about their daily lives or asleep in their beds with no warning of what was to come, have lost their lives in cruel ways."

"The secretary general strongly condemns the vicious acts which took place in Znamenskoye and Riyadh," the statement said.

"They were against all decent tenets of religion, against human rights, indeed against humanity. Terrorism can never be justified."

"Outraged"

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien confirmed Tuesday that "some Canadians" were injured in the bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia, but none had been killed.

"I want to express my outrage at what happened in Saudi Arabia," Chretien said.

He said some of the Canadians apparently were injured, but none died in the attacks in Riyadh.

Of the terrorists, Chretien said: "I think they will never win in using these tactics."

He said there was no evidence Canadians were specifically targeted, saying the attacks were "against Westerners in general."

French President Jacques Chirac unequivocally condemned the attacks, voicing his "emotion and profound indignation before these blindly barbaric acts."

"France is determined to relentlessly pursue, with its partners, the fight against international terrorism," Chirac's office said in a statement.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer issued a statement condemning the attacks and warning that the international community faced "a great challenge" in tackling violent extremism.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said: "International terrorism is at work and I really believe that we must all unite with the United States to combat this evil, which is a tragic reality."

A Greek European Union presidency statement said: "Those responsible for this horrible and barbaric act of terrorism should be prosecuted and brought to justice," while EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana warned in Amman that the attacks threatened regional stability.

Arabs Denounce 

Arab states on Tuesday poured condemnation on the three bombing attacks on expatriate housing compounds in the Saudi capital.

Kuwait and Bahrain, both neighbors of Saudi Arabia, branded the attacks as "criminal acts".

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah sent a message to his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, spelling out "Kuwait's condemnation of these criminal acts".

The emirate would support "all measures that Riyadh may take to safeguard its security," said the message.

In Manama, Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa also backed any "steps Riyadh may take to eliminate these terrorist acts aimed at destabilizing" the kingdom.

The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Muslim World League (MWL) also joined in the chorus of condemnation.

The GCC, which groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, reaffirmed its "rejection of all forms and sources of terror attacks".

The Mecca-based MWL termed the attacks "carried out by terrorists in the dark in Riyadh as criminal acts".

MWL Secretary General Abdullah al-Turki, himself a senior scholar, said Islam forbade the killing of non-Muslims especially those living in Islamic countries.

Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher of Jordan, one of several countries with nationals killed in the bombing, said it would "strengthen our resolve to keep up our efforts to find a solution to all the problems of this region".

Five Jordanians, including two children from the same family, were killed in the explosions, a senior Jordanian official said.

Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud "forcefully condemned the bomb attacks", in which at least one Lebanese national was among the dead, his office said in a statement.

"Such deplorable terrorist acts have a negative impact on the region's peace and stability and serve as obstacles to efforts being made to face up to the violence and bloodshed," added the statement.

There was no immediate reaction from Egypt, where President Hosni Mubarak had already warned that the U.S.-led war in Iraq could spurn "100 bin Ladens" violently opposed to the U.S. presence in the region.

Following the U.S. military victory in Iraq, Washington and Riyadh decided to end the U.S. troop presence in Saudi Arabia, which dates back to before the 1991 Gulf War.

Their removal was a key demand of al-Qaeda, which is held responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks with hijacked aircraft in New York and Washington.