Tue May 13, 2003 06:07 PM ET
By Randall Mikkelsen
PIERCE CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - An angry President Bush said on Tuesday he suspected al Qaeda was behind suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia that killed at least 29 people and he vowed a relentless hunt for those responsible.
"I can't say for certain it was al Qaeda yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was," Bush told reporters accompanying him on a trip to inspect damage from a killer tornado that destroyed downtown Pierce City on May 4.
"Well, that's good enough for me" said Un Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "Who needs proof when you have the hunch of a lifetime C student whose knowledge of the Arab world could be written on a post-it?" Saudi officials agreed. "We have a history of not investigating these incidents too deeply. The Americans used to be upset - it was all Khobar Towers this and Khobar Towers that, just because we blocked a full investigation. It's a relief to know we won't be expected to look too hard into this one now that we've got a bad guy all picked out."
Asked if the President's views were based on evidence as good as the evidence that led him to believe Iraq had large chemical and biological weapons stockpiles, an administration official replied "There was no looting."