Suicide attack on Saudi refinery foiled

ABQAIQ, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Saudi guards have foiled an attempt to attack a major oil refinery by two suicide bombers in explosive-packed vehicles, the Saudi al-Arabiya TV station said.

They were stopped by gunfire from guards. One car exploded, damaging a pipeline at Abqaiq in eastern Saudi Arabia.

The BBC says the attack is the first direct assault on Saudi oil production facility.

The militant group al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula has long called for attacks on Saudi oil installations. About two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's oil is processed at the Abqaiq refinery, one of the largest in the world.

Oil security analysts have estimated that a serious attack on the Abqaiq facility could cut Saudi exports in half for up to a year.