Medina, Saudi Arabia
Militants ambushed a group of nine French hikers in Saudi Arabia this week, gunning down the four men as the women and children watched in horror. The French nationals were expats who lived in Riyadh and worked for international companies. Saudi and French authorities said the attack appeared to be the work of al Qaida, the first such attack on foreigners in Saudi Arabia in three years. Al Qaida began targeting foreigners in 2003, when it said it wanted to rid Islam’s holy land of infidels. It halted the terror campaign the following year, after a massive Saudi crackdown.
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