US to help Saudi Arabia fight terror threats

Worldwide crude prices firmed overnight after Western naval forces said on Friday that they feared possible attacks on oil facilities in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil producer said terrorist threats against the country’s oil facilities are in progress.

What shook the Gulf was a videotaped message from al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, which was broadcasted on the fifth anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the United States. In the video message the terrorist leader warned that the Persian Gulf region and Israel would be their next targets. The al-Qaeda leader also indicted Western powers of stealing what he called Muslim oil.

United States is ready to help Saudi Arabia fight threats from terrorist groups, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. “We will do everything that we can, if there is a request for assistance, both in general terms or specific terms to assist the Saudi government,” McCormack said.

US said that after the news of a potential terrorist threat to oil installations in OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia, it has been constantly assessing the situation in the Middle East; however the State declined to comment on the specific steps put in place to counter the terrorist threats.

"I don't think it would surprise you that we wouldn't comment on any specifics of any counterterrorism cooperation we might have with Saudi Arabia or any other country," McCormack said.

But rumor is that the Pentagon has moved additional resources including ships to the area in the wake of threats of terrorist attacks.

About the latest threat, McCormack on Friday said, “There have been calls by al-Qaeda to attack Saudi oil facilities in the recent past. These are not new. You go back in the record you can see these threats previously.”

McCormack, however, said such threats are certainly a matter of concern for the Saudi Government. "We have excellent counter-terrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Saudi interior ministry, General Mansur al-Turki said tight security measures are placed to fight terrorist threats. “The terrorist threat to industrial installations exists, and (oil facilities) are a declared target of the deviant group (official Saudi term for Al Qaeda militants),” Turki told media. “There are preventive measures in any installation, be it Ras Tannura or others, to prevent any terrorist operation,” he added.

The western naval forces in the Gulf have moved to meet a possible seaborne threat to Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura oil terminal, Britain's Royal Navy said.

"Acting on information received, Coalition naval forces, operating in support of Saudi and Bahraini forces have deployed units to counter a possible maritime threat to the oil facilities at Ras Tanura," the Royal Navy said.

As per the U.S. Department of Energy estimates, Ras Tanura has a capacity of 6 million barrels per day.

Oil prices were firm above $60 a barrel on Friday after Saudi Arabia said it was taking measures to protect its oil facilities against possible terrorist attacks. U.S. crude was up 25 cents at $60.61 a barrel. London Brent jumped 18 cents to $60.95.