Kingdom Tower Evacuation Today!

I drove by the Tower on Aruba Road at about 5:30 pm and didnt see anything happening at all

Evidently someone called in a bomb threat.  This is what came through on Reuters...

Saudi Kingdom Tower evacuated after bomb hoax
Wed Jan 20 16:42:27 UTC 2010
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi authorities ordered the evacuation of Kingdom Tower, a landmark in the capital Riyadh, as a precaution on Wednesday after a bomb threat which turned out to be a hoax, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

"We confirm that this was a hoax ... The building and sites immediately close to it are being evacuated as a precautionary measure," Mansour al-Turki, Interior Ministry spokesman for security affairs, told Reuters.

"An unknown person called an employee at Samba (Financial Group) bank's offices in the tower to say a bomb was placed in his car" he added.

Bomb threats are rare in Saudi Arabia.

Turki said earlier the anonymous caller told a Samba employee that the bomb was placed in a car in the parking lot of the bank's main headquarters in Riyadh.

"Two Samba employees called (the police) about this matter and gave conflicting information," Turki said.

Majid al-Seif, a Samba spokesman, declined to comment.

Islamist militants launched a violent campaign to destabilise the U.S.-allied monarchy in 2003. The violence has subsided since 2006 after nearly 200 people were killed, including foreign residents, security forces and militants.

(Reporting by Souhail Karam; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Wow, were you there when it happened, CAF?

No.  I got a call from a friend.  She said her husband had been evacuated and asked if I new anything or the number to the Embassy.  My hubby was already home, so he wasn't affected, but some folks who were in the country (staying at the 4 Seasons) visiting his office were asked to pack their stuff and move out.  Interesting developments!

(moderated: )