List of terrorist incidents in Saudi Arabia

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The most serious violence to take place was a series of bomb blasts in Riyadh in late 1966 and early 1967. The bombings, which caused no known casualties, were claimed by the North Yemen based Nasserite organisation Union of the People of the Arabian Peninsula [ittihad sha'b al jazira al 'arabiyya] (UPAP). After the attacks, Saudi authorities arrested several hundred Yemenis, executed 17 of them and expelled the rest.

20 November–4 December (See Grand Mosque Seizure) – number of militants took over the Masjid al Haram in Mecca to protest the House of Saud's policies of Westernization. The militants were well organized and armed and were initially able to repel attempts by the Saudi National Guard to storm the complex. The Saudis eventually brought in French and Pakistani commandos to help their forces retake the Mosque. Non Muslim commandos underwent nominal conversion to Islam before being allowed into the Mosque. Eventually the Mosque was retaken and the 63 or 67 surviving male militants were executed. The number of people killed in the siege and the total number of militants involved are disputed. Official sources put the death toll at 255, but others suggest that it was higher. Ruhollah Khomeini addressed on Radio regarding the seizure of the Mosque on 21 November.

30 September – four Shi'ite men are beheaded for blowing up fuel storage tanks at the Saudi Petrochemical Company (SADAF) facility in Jubail. They had entered the plant by cutting a hole in the perimeter fence. One tank happened to be empty, but another was full and burned for several days. Eventually the fire was extinguished when a firefighting team literally plugged the hole in the tank. SADAF Engineer William (Bill) Parry (07.11.1941 18.12.2022) was the engineer responsible for the idea and design of the ‘plug’ that was used to stop the fire. He was also one of the volunteer firefighters who walked in to the fire to place it in position.

1 November – a car bomb killed five US citizens and two Indians at the offices of the Saudi National Guard in Riyadh.

In late 2001, a Sudanese man with links to Al Qaeda fired an SA 7 at an American F 15 Eagle fighter taking off from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The missile missed the target and was not detected by the pilot or anyone at the base. Saudi police found the empty launcher in the desert in May 2002, and a suspect was arrested in Sudan a month later. He led police to a cache in the desert where a second missile was buried.

20 June A British national was killed when a bomb placed under his car detonated in Al Nakheel. 29 September A German national was killed by a car bomb in central Riyadh.

20 February An American employee of BAE Systems was shot to death in his car in Riyadh. 12 May (See Riyadh Compound Bombings) 35 are killed and over 200 wounded during a suicide attack on the Vinnell Compound in Riyadh. Western sources report that National Guard collusion was involved and there are rumors of large numbers of Western expats leaving the country. 31 May 2 police officers and a militant are killed. 14 June Security forces raided a building in the Khalidiya neighborhood of Makkah. Two Saudi police officers and five suspects were killed in a shootout. Twelve suspects were arrested including two from Chad and one Egyptian. 28 July Six militants – four Saudis and two Chadians – and two police officers were killed in a police raid on a farm outside of Al Qasim. The four Saudis were identified as Ahmad Al Dakheel, Kareem Olayyan Al Ramthan Al Harbi, Saud Aamir Suleiman Al Qurashi, and Muhammad Ghazi Saleem Al Harbi. The Chadians were Isa Kamal Yousuf Khater and Isa Saleh Ali Ahmed. Another Saudi wanted person, identified as Ibrahim ibn Abdullah Khalaf Al Harbi, was arrested after he being injured. 23 September Three militants and a police officer are killed in a gunfight at a Riyadh hospital. 20 October Police raid hideout in Riyadh and capture a large supply of weapons. 3 November Police surround militant hideout in Riyadh and kill two. 6 November Two militants surrounded by the police in Riyadh blow themselves up. 8 November A truck bomb explodes at an Arab housing compound in Riyadh, killing 17 and injuring 120. 8 December An unnamed militant is killed at a Riyadh gas station.

24 February Saudi security forces have thwarted an attempted suicide attack at an oil processing facility in eastern Saudi Arabia, Saudi security sources told CNN. Two pick up trucks carrying two would be bombers tried to enter the side gate to the Abqaiq plant in the Eastern Province, the largest oil processing facilities in the world (more than 60% of Saudi production), but the attackers detonated their explosives after security guards fired on them, according to statements from Saudi's interior and oil ministries. According to Saudi sources, the plant was not damaged and only minor damage to one small (1.5 inch) pipeline was caused by splinters, along with serious injuries among security guards and minor injuries among a few Aramco plant workers. The dead suspects were later named as Muhammed Al Gaith and Abdullah Al Tuwaijri. Two members of the security forces were also killed in the fight. 27 February In a series of predawn raids sparked by the attack on Abqaiq, Saudi security forces killed five unnamed militants (in Al Yarmouk) and captured another (in Al Rawabi). In addition, three people were killed by the police at a vehicle checkpoint. Initial reports indicate that the checkpoint incident was a mistake, as those killed were Filipino guest workers. 26 October Security services announce the arrest of 44 Saudi nationals in Riyadh, Al Qassim and Hail. 2 December Security services announce the arrest of 136 Al Qaeda suspects, including 115 Saudi nationals. Calling the arrests "preemptive," they claim that at least one cell of militants were on the verge of making a suicide attack in the Kingdom.

26 February Three French nationals, including a teenager, murdered during a desert trip near the ancient city Madain Saleh.

On 17 November 2008, Somali pirates captured the Saudi owned oil tanker MV Sirius Star with 25 crew members on board. The tanker was later released after a ransom of £2 million was paid. All crew members were safe.

In August, an attempt was made on the life of Saudi Prince and counterintelligence chief Mohammed bin Nayef by al Qaeda operative Abdullah Hasan Tali al Asiri, who died after detonating an underwear bomb.

On 26 August 2012, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of 2 Saudis and 6 Yemenis in Riyadh and Jeddah who had been preparing explosives for attacks within the kingdom. One member of the cell had had fingers amputated from injuries sustained by working on explosives. Materials for making bombs were found in a Riyadh mosque.

5 January – A pair of suicide bombers attacked a border patrol unit near Arar, killing three soldiers. 22 May – A suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque in Qatif governate in the Eastern Province. At least 22 were killed and 102 others were injured. 29 May – A suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque in Dammam, killing 4 people and injuring 4 others. 3 July – A policeman was killed during a "counter terror" operation in Taif. 16 July – News reports dated 16 July say a suicide attacker detonated his car bomb at a police checkpoint near a prison in Riyadh killing himself and injuring two others. 29 July – Press reports indicate that on 29 July a policeman was killed in a drive by shooting in the village on Al Jish in Qatif Province. 7 August – A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni mosque in Abha, in the southern province of Asir. The mosque was inside a military installation controlled by Saudi special forces engaged in the war in nearby Yemen. Press reports indicated 15 people were killed. 12 of them were members of security forces officers and the other three were workers

4 September – Aramco Abqaiq Community, Sgt. Ali Al Habeeb, 47, was killed during the confrontation with the attacker. The terrorist fled but was chased down by security officers and surrounded inside a home located in the industrial district in the southern part of Abqaiq. Officers had information that he was wearing an explosives belt and asked him to surrender. However, he refused so officers took him out.