An internet website has posted a statement purportedly from the Saudi wing of al-Qaida urging guerrillas to attack oil facilities in the world's top oil exporting nation.
The statement, whose authenticity could not be verified, called on all mujahedeen in the Arab Peninsula to target oil supplies that serve the enemies of the Islamic nation.
The message appeared after al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden issued a call to his fighters to strike oil targets in Iraq and the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia is battling a 19-month wave of violence by al-Qaida supporters. Gunmen have killed foreigners in the Red Sea petrochemical hub of Yanbu and the oil city of al-Khobar, but there have been no reports of direct attacks on oil facilities.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.