Saudi king raises 'iron fist' against militants

King Fahd warned overnight of "stiff retaliation" after a devastating suicide attack that killed 17 people at a Riyadh housing compound.

The Saudi monarch told a weekly cabinet meeting that the country "would hit hard the criminals who commit this type of act and those who command them."

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"The retaliation will be stiff", he vowed. The kingdom "will act with an iron fist against all those who threaten the security of the country, its citizens and those who live there."

The declaration came after a security source told AFP at least 5,000 soldiers and police had been deployed in Makkah where as many as 2.5 million Muslims were expected to celebrate the last 10 days of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The decision to deploy extra forces to the holiest city in Islam was reached after security forces smashed a suspected al-Qaeda cell last week and announced it had been preparing an attack on the faithful in Makkah , said the security source who refused to be named.

"In total there will be no fewer than 5,000 soldiers and police reinforcements in the Makkah region," he said. Press reports said the security contingent had been doubled compared to previous years.

Some two million foreign pilgrims and 500,000 Saudis were expected to throng Makkah over the last 10 days of the Muslim fasting month, which was due to conclude around November 24-25.

More reinforcements would also be deployed in Medina, the second holiest site in Islam, the source added.

Deputy Hajj or Pilgrimage Minister Hatem Qadi Tuesday told Al-Hayat there had been no reduction in the numbers of pilgrims flowing into Makkah, which he estimated already at 1.5 million, despite the bloodshed.

Makkah has already been the scene of deadly clashes between suspected al-Qaeda gunmen and security forces.

The authorities said November 3 they had foiled a plot to attack pilgrims in the holiest city in Islam where two "terrorists" were shot dead.

The alleged plot was hatched by fighters of the al-Qaeda militant network headed by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, who planned to kill pilgrims during Ramadan.

In mid-June police carried out a series of raids on suspected militant hideouts in Makkah , killing five men and arresting 12 others, five of whom were wounded.