US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI1572

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 001572 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, CMGT, CASC, AMGT, APER, SA, ZP, ZR, DJ 
SUBJECT: DISCUSSING SECURITY IN DJIBOUTI: OUR RESPONSE TO 
JEDDAH 
 
1.(U)SUMMARY: On 12/7/04 and 12/8/04 the Ambassador called 
meetings with all Embassy staff and available American 
wardens to discuss recent events at the U.S. Consulate in 
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All attendees were reminded that both 
Foreign Service Nationals and Americans are considered 
targets for terrorists, and they were urged to remain 
vigilant about both personal and Embassy security. END 
SUMMARY 
 
2. (U) On 12/7 The Ambassador convened a meeting of 
Americans, FSNs and available wardens to share information 
about the Jeddah consulate attacks and to show unity with 
colleagues who were injured or killed. After a moment of 
silence, she emphasized the importance of security for 
Mission personnel and the American community. She invited 
the Regional Security Officer (RSO) to speak and to provide 
follow-up for members of the American community concerned 
about safety issues. 
 
3. (U) The RSO told the assembly that the security posture 
in Djibouti has not changed and that a threat of terrorist 
action remains. He reminded Americans and local staff to 
practice extreme vigilance. The RSO said that vehicles are 
frequently used in attacks against American interests and 
that surveillance generally takes place for some period of 
time before an attack. He underscored that suspicious 
activity should be immediately reported to the Embassy 
Security Staff. 
 
4. (U) On 12/8 the Ambassador called a second meeting to 
share additional details of the attack. She read the names 
of the dead and injured from the attack, including the 
positions they occupied at CG Jeddah, focusing staff 
attention on how terrorist attacks could impact a broad 
section of mission operations, not only local guards.  She 
reiterated the importance of personal security measures. The 
Ambassador advised Americans in the audience that the 
Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens to defer 
travel to Saudi Arabia and said that the Travel Warning for 
Saudi Arabia urges private Americans currently there to 
depart. 
 
5. (U) During this second meeting, the RSO described, in 
general terms, the attack itself, reporting that several 
people stormed the Embassy compound "using vehicles, 
explosives and small arms fire to inflict as much damage and 
loss of life as possible." He reiterated the need for 
vigilance, teamwork and attention to security procedures and 
informed the Embassy staff that he would be meeting with 
each section individually over the next week to review these 
procedures. 
 
7. (U) Minutes of these two meetings were forwarded, for 
information purposes, to wardens who were unable to attend. 
 
Ragsdale