Britishman was gunned down in Saudi capital

Gunmen shot dead a British man in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the latest in a spate of attacks on Western expatriates in the kingdom.

Security sources named the victim as Edward Smith, 50, and said he worked for Marconi telecommunications corporation, which provides consultancy services to the Saudi National Guard.

A security source told AFP he was fatally shot in the parking lot of a commercial establishment in the eastern sector of the city.

Witnesses said the victim was gunned down outside a supermarket on Khraiss road at around 5:00 pm (1400 GMT). They said two gunmen shot him with four bullets as he headed towards his car, says Channel News Asia.

The sources said the shooting was linked to a wave of anti-Western attacks in the world's largest oil exporter by supporters of Saudi-born &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2002/09/13/36520.html' target=_blank>Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2002/07/21/32929.html' target=_blank>Briton killed today in Riyadh," British Ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles told Reuters.

"They should know -- and the terrorists must know -- that his murder will only make the British government more determined to stand with the Saudi government and people in their battle against senseless terror of this kind," he added, Reuters informed.

According to the Al-Jazeera News, the motive for the killing is still unknown and no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Saudi authorities have stepped up security efforts in the&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2002/07/24/33056.html' target=_blank>kingdom in an attempt to ensure the security of expatriates.