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Saudi Arabia 2020 Crime & Safety Report: Jeddah

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Saudi Arabia 2020 Crime & Safety Report: Jeddah Saudi Arabia 2020 Crime & Safety Report: Jeddah This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the U.S. Consulate General in Jeddah. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Western Saudi Arabia. For more in-depth information, review OSAC’s Saudi Arabia country page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password. Travel Advisory The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses Saudi Arabia at Level 2, indicating travelers should exercise increased caution due to terrorism and the threat of missile and drone attacks on civilian targets. Do not travel to within 50 miles of the border with Yemen due to terrorism and armed conflict. Review OSAC’s report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System. Overall Crime and Safety Situation Crime Threats The U.S. Department of State has assessed Jeddah as being a LOW-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Crime in Saudi Arabia has increased over recent years, but remains at levels far below most major metropolitan areas in the United States. Criminal activity does not typically target foreigners and is mostly drug-related. Review OSAC’s reports, All That You Should Leave Behind, The Overseas Traveler’s Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud, Taking Credit, Hotels: The Inns and Outs, and Considerations for Hotel Security. Cybersecurity Issues Cybersecurity should be an increasingly important focus for the U.S. private sector abroad. U.S. organizations based in the Middle East should increase the use of cybersecurity best practices, especially with regards to the identification and reporting of spear phishing emails. Cyber threat researchers report that Iranian hacking groups have used phishing emails to deliver malware and or harvest credentials. In previously observed campaigns, phishing emails and SMS sent to victims have contained malicious links designed to redirect users to credential harvesting websites, initiate scripts that install malware, and or malicious attachments containing malware. Iranian actors may use malware to conduct intelligence gathering in the form of stealing files, logging keystrokes, and or destroying data for disruptive purposes. Review OSAC’s reports, Cybersecurity Basics, Best Practices for Maximizing Security on Public Wi-Fi, Traveling with Mobile Devices: Trends & Best Practices, and Satellite Phones: Critical or Contraband? 1 Transportation-Safety Situation Road Safety and Road Conditions Physical road conditions in larger cities are generally fair to good; in contrast, roads in rural areas are less developed. Road surfaces may range from pavement to sand/gravel, without road markings, lighting, and/or reflectors. Drivers sometimes drive with no lights, in the wrong direction, and in reverse, even on well-traveled highways. Use extreme caution when driving at night outside of greater Jeddah due to poor lighting, unmarked construction areas, livestock crossing highways, and erratic drivers. In Jeddah, traffic accidents are common and often result in serious injuries/fatalities. Driving is extremely hazardous due to excessive speeding, aggressive driving, lax enforcement of traffic regulations, and a high volume of traffic. In cases involving a Saudi and non-Saudi, there is often a presumption of fault against the non-Saudi. In the event of a traffic accident resulting in personal injuries, authorities may take all persons involved to the local police station. In June 2018, the Kingdom gave legal authorization for women to drive. However, this has not caused a discernable influx of additional vehicles or additional safety concerns. Short-term visitors may drive using their U.S. driver’s license or international driver’s license. However, U.S. citizens employed in Saudi Arabia must obtain a Saudi driver’s license from the Traffic Department. Saudi Arabia also requires approved drivers to carry vehicle insurance. Motorists should regularly modify their routes and travel times for security reasons. Review OSAC’s reports, Road Safety Abroad, Driving Overseas: Best Practices, and Evasive Driving Techniques; and read the State Department’s webpage on driving and road safety abroad. Public Transportation Conditions Public transportation is growing, with several projects in the planning phases. In 2014, the Saudi Railways Company (SAR) announced a multi-billion dollar plan for rail infrastructure. The goal is to be the regional leader in cargo transportation, with special emphasis placed on creating a robust railway plan for cargo between Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam. Fire severely damaged the Jeddah station in 2019, and an effort is underway to rapidly restore it to service and mitigate future fire risk. Taxis are available throughout major cities, particularly at hotels. Patrons may telephone for taxi services or summon them via smartphone app. Use established taxi companies, such as those offering cabs with meters. Ride hailing services such as Uber and Careem are available and popular with members of the international community in Jeddah. Review OSAC’s report, Security In Transit: Airplanes, Public Transport, and Overnights Aviation/Airport Conditions Several international airports exist in Saudi Arabia; King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) serves Jeddah and Mecca, and is the country’s busiest. Security is generally adequate. The international airports use biometric systems for immigration processing. Jeddah Civil Aviation Authority opened a new passenger terminal in 2019, primarily designed to handle the yearly Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca; not all airlines have begun using that facility. The U.S. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) assesses the Kingdom’s international airports on a regular basis, and has identified some lapses (inconsistent management of badges). 2 The U.S. Embassy restricts its personnel and their families from using Abha International Airport (AHB). Terrorism Threat The U.S. Department of State has assessed Jeddah as being a HIGH-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Terrorist operations remain a concern for travelers to Saudi Arabia. ISIS, and to a lesser extent al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), continue to encourage terrorist attacks in the Kingdom, and aspire to destabilize the Saudi government. There is a continued risk of terrorist attacks in the country. Terrorist actors typically target government security forces or entities, but may also seek to attack public and/or tourist areas. While kidnapping is not common, it is most likely to involve terrorist actors seeking to target foreigners in the event they are unable to orchestrate a large- scale attack. Saudi government capacity to combat transnational and domestic terrorism has increased dramatically over recent years. Saudi Arabia has undertaken several initiatives leading to arrests, identification of smuggling routes, and interdiction of attempts by ISIS and others to cross the border illegally. The government security forces have increased their capacity to respond quickly anywhere in the Kingdom. ISIS-linked attacks on foreigners and Shia in Qatif and al Hasa, as well as Houthi activity, has prompted the U.S. Embassy to restrict personnel and their families from travel to the following areas: • within 50 miles of the Yemeni border; • the cities of Jizan and Najran; • Abha International Airport; • Qatif in the Eastern province and its suburbs, including Awamiyah; and • Hofuf and its suburbs in the Al Hasa governorate. Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment In addition to current security threats, there is low-level anti-Western sentiment in Saudi Arabia, often fueled by international and/or regional developments that involve conflicting stances with the U.S. on a given issue. Anti-Western sentiment tends to spark during times of major policy decisions or changes. Political, Economic, Religious, and Ethnic Violence The U.S. Department of State has assessed Jeddah as being a HIGH-threat location for political violence directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has received multiple cross-border ballistic missile attacks attributed to Houthi rebels in Yemen. The impacted area is diverse, including but not limited to a Red Sea coastal impact in Yanbu; missiles launched against the capital, Riyadh; and strikes in the Yemen-Saudi border region, to include Khamis Mushayt. In 2019, Houthis successfully carried out several drone attacks, including one that struck the passenger terminal at Abha airport. While there was an effort made toward peace in Yemen at the end of the year, this effort fell through. One can reasonably expect additional Houthi drone and missile attacks to occur in Saudi Arabia during the coming year. 3 Houthi sources continue to threaten additional missiles against Saudi Arabia in retaliation for military involvement in Yemen. As the number of ballistic missile launches into Saudi territory increases, Houthi leadership boasts of having the capabilities and intentions to target key locations in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, including military and government targets. Regardless of calls for Saudi Arabia to relax its involvement in the conflict, coalition activity shows no sign of waning. Retaliatory missile launches into the country are likely to continue for
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