King Fahd pledged on Sunday that the kingdom would defeat terrorism, two days after security forces inflicted a major blow against the Al-Qaeda terror network, which has vowed to fight on despite the killing of its chief in Saudi Arabia.
Underlining the king's vow, helicopters clattered over some districts of Riyadh and security forces searched at least one building in a neighbourhood to the northwest of the Saudi capital, witnesses said.
It was not immediately clear if the security force activity was part of the continuing hunt for terror suspects or related to the search for the still-missing body of Paul Johnson, the American hostage executed by the terror cell before its members were killed.
Residents said security forces on Sunday evening moved on the Al-Malaz district of Riyadh where Al-Qaeda chief Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin was shot. They asked inhabitants to list the names of people living in houses in the neighbourhood.
"We will not allow a subversive group driven by deviant thinking to undermine this country's security or destabilize it," Fahd said in an annual policy address to the appointed Shura (Consultative) Council in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
"The deep cohesion between the leadership and the people, the vigilance of security forces and the valiant efforts of everyone to preserve this country's security will prevent them from achieving their goals," he said.
State-guided papers were on Sunday cheering the blow security forces dealt to "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula" after the group stepped up fatal attacks that have targeted Westerners in recent weeks and beheaded their American hostage.
But there were also warnings that although Riyadh won a round by killing Muqrin and three associates on Friday night, the war was far from over.
And a prominent Islamist who has been involved in efforts to broker an end to violence suggested the Saudi government should build on its achievement by addressing the issue of detained militants.
"World rejoices at security forces' epic in bringing down the bombing quartet," the daily Al-Watan headlined its front page.
"The security forces are heroes ... and Muqrin's killing is a strong message to the lost group," echoed the headline of Al-Madina, another Saudi daily.
Arab News cautioned: "This has been a major blow to the fanatics ... However we must not for a moment imagine that the war against them is over."
On Saturday, US ambassador in Riyadh James Oberwetter, while hailing Saudi authorities for eliminating "several of the worst Al-Qaeda terrorists on the peninsula," said the oil-rich kingdom would remain dangerous for some time to come.
The security forces gunned down the four in Riyadh after weeks of appearing powerless to stop attacks on Westerners that terrorized foreign residents and which followed a wave of suicide bombings which began in May 2003.
The interior ministry said that besides Muqrin, two of the slain extremists were directly involved in the latest outrages. Another 12 suspects were arrested.
"Al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula" confirmed the death of its chief but vowed it would carry on jihad, or holy war, under a new leadership.
"Fighting commander Abdul Aziz bin Issa al-Muqrin fell as a martyr on Friday ... in an ambush laid for him by the soldiers of tyranny in the Malaz district of Riyadh," said a statement signed by the group and posted on the internet.
Muqrin had died "after having prepared sincere men from among the combatants to succeed him and carry on the jihad, equipped by God with everything needed to bring harm to America and its agents among the tyrants.
"They have committed themselves to apply sharia (Islamic) law and to avenge the blood of Muslims and combatants," the statement said.
Mohsen al-Awaji, a moderate Islamist, said now was the right time for authorities to try to win over Al-Qaeda followers by releasing suspected militants not proven guilty and moving to give others a fair trial.
Awaji said that given its obstinate character, the group could not have been expected to say other than that it would fight on. The crisis was not over, and further terrorist acts could be expected anywhere, anytime, he said.
But he said it was also true that in killing Muqrin and his aides, the security forces had eliminated the spearhead of the group.
Awaji said that precisely because it was now in a stronger position, the Saudi government should "throw a lifebuoy" to other extremists to steer them away from the path of violence. It could do so by dealing with the issue of the 700-odd militants detained since the violence began 13 months ago.
"Those against whom there are no charges should be released, while the rest should be given a fair trial," he said.
This would encourage other extremists to rethink, Awaji added.
Muqrin's group had threatened to execute Johnson unless authorities freed the detainees within 72 hours ending Friday. Riyadh said it would not do a deal with terrorists.
Crown Prince and de facto ruler Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz warned on Saturday that other extremists would meet the same fate as the Muqrin cell unless they repented.
The Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reported that one of the 12 arrested may be implicated in the October 2000 attack on the US destroyer Cole in Yemen's Aden port in which 17 US sailors died.
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