Saudi Official: 5 Dead From Swine Flu at Hajj Nov. 29, 2009
MINA, Saudi Arabia – Five people died from swine flu during the hajj, Saudi Arabia said Sunday, a relatively small number considering the event is the largest annual gathering in the world and is seen as an ideal incubator for the virus.

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Saudi Arabia Airport Screening Procedures

This report was produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at U.S. Embassy Riyadh on July 22, 2009.  

Please be advised that Saudi Arabia’s airport and custom authorities have the authority to screen all electronic devices carried by arriving and departing foreign passengers. Saudi custom regulations prohibit the carrying of illicit materials into and out of the country.

 

The following personal electronic devices may be searched for illicit materials: cellular phones, cameras and memory cards, flash disks, external hard drives, laptops/notebooks/PC, iPod, iPod Touch, and MP3 players with memory cards.

 

All devices with pornographic materials will be confiscated immediately – no fines will be assessed. Individuals refusing to be searched will be detained, deported and black listed by the Saudi Arabian government.

 

OSAC constituents report that while they are in fact seldom screened for illicit materials, it is wise to remind all workers who are traveling into or out of Saudi Arabia that inspection by custom authorities is a possibility.  

 

Please contact Ryan Garvey, OSAC’s Information Security Coordinator, for technology-specific questions.

 

Please contact Brent Heminger, OSAC’s GCC, Iraq and Iran Coordinator, for questions-specific to Saudi Arabia security procedures.

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This Travel Warning was issued on December 19, 2007. It reminds U.S. citizens of recommended security precautions and ongoing security concerns in Saudi Arabia.  

The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia. The security threat level remains high due to the continued presence of terrorist groups, some affiliated with al Qaida, who may target Western interests, housing compounds, and other facilities where Westerners congregate. These terrorist groups may also target Saudi Government facilities and economic/commercial targets within the Kingdom.

In February 2007, four French tourists were killed in a terrorist incident on a desert track north of Medina. A gunman fired shots at the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah in May 2006. In February 2006, terrorists attempted an attack on Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq in the Eastern Province. An armed attack on the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah on December 6, 2004, resulted in five deaths and eleven serious injuries among non-U.S. staff members.

Although extremists have not conducted a successful attack against Westerners since February 2007, the United States Mission in Saudi Arabia remains an unaccompanied post as a result of continued security concerns. The Department of State has approved limited family visitation by adult dependents, in part because of the significant progress Saudi security forces have made in counteracting the terrorist threat within Saudi Arabia as they continue to arrest and break up terrorist cells.

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Terrorist groups continue to target housing compounds and other establishments where Westerners may be located.  Saudi Government facilities are also targets.  In addition to car bombs and armed assaults involving multiple gunmen against such facilities, terrorists have used ambush attacks to kidnap and/or assassinate individual Westerners.  In February 2007, four French residents of Saudi Arabia returning from Madain Saleh were killed in a shooting incident while resting on the side of the Tabruk-Medina highway, approximately 17 km north of Medina.  In February 2006, there was a terrorist attack on Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq in the Eastern Province.  There were no U.S. citizens or Westerners injured in this attack.

Due to concerns about the possibility of additional terrorist activity directed against American citizens and interests, the Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia.  The United States Mission in Saudi Arabia remains an unaccompanied post as a result of continued security concerns.  Non-emergency employees and all dependents of the U.S. Embassy Riyadh and Consulates General Jeddah and Dhahran were ordered to leave the country on April 15, 2004. 

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An armed attack on the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah occurred on December 6, 2004, resulting in casualties among the non-American staff and damage to consulate facilities. On November 13, 2005, the Consulate General in Jeddah closed the visa section for security reasons that require the assistance of the Government of Saudi Arabia to resolve. On May 12, 2006 a lone gunman fired shots at the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah.  There were no injuries.  The consular section remains open for American citizen services.  

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Terrorist groups continue to target housing compounds and other establishments where Westerners may be located.  Saudi Government facilities are also targets.  In addition to car bombs and armed assaults involving multiple gunmen against such facilities, terrorists have used ambush attacks to kidnap and/or assassinate individual Westerners.  On February 24, 2006, there was a terrorist attack on Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq in the Eastern Province.  There were no U.S. citizens or Westerners injured in this attack however.  

American citizens who choose to visit or remain in Saudi Arabia despite this Travel Warning are strongly urged to avoid staying in hotels or housing compounds that do not apply stringent security measures including, but not limited to, the presence of an armed guard force, inspection of all vehicles, and a hardened security perimeter to prevent unauthorized vehicles from approaching the facility.  American citizens are further advised to exercise caution and maintain good situational awareness when visiting commercial establishments frequented by Westerners or in primarily Western environments.  Keep a low profile, varying times and routes for all required travel, and ensure that travel documents and visas are valid.  American citizens are also advised to exercise caution while driving, entering or exiting vehicles. 

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U.S. citizens who travel to or remain in Saudi Arabia despite this travel warning are strongly urged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov , in order to be included in the Mission's warden network.  Updated travel and security information for Saudi Arabia is issued periodically via the warden network.      

From time to time, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia may restrict the travel of official Americans or suspend public services for security reasons.  In those instances, the Embassy and Consulates will keep the local American citizen community apprised through the Warden System and make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens.  Warden messages can be found on the U.S. Embassy Riyadh website: http://riyadh.usembassy.gov.

Updated information on travel and security in Saudi Arabia may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 in the U.S. or Canada or on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  For additional information, consult the Department of State's Consular Information Sheet for Saudi Arabia, the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, and Middle East and North Africa Public Announcement at http://travel.state.gov.