Battle to save British bomb victim's sight

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- A Briton blinded in one eye in the latest bomb attack on British citizens in Saudi Arabia will require more operations to try to save his sight, his doctors have said.

David Brown, from Scotland, has lost sight in one eye and doctors will operate on his other eye in the coming days.

Doctor Samer Saleh Islam told the Arabic-language Okaz daily: "David Brown will undergo more surgery within the next 10 days to restore vision to his second eye."

The doctor said a medical team from the King Faisal Specialist Hospital would also operate on one of Brown's hands within the next two days.

Brown, a Coca-Cola International employee, sustained severe eye injuries and lost some of his fingers when a small parcel placed near the windscreen of his car exploded on Friday as he attempted to remove it.

"His condition is stable. He will undergo several operations over the coming days," said Brown's wife Joanne, who was with her husband when he was wounded.

The UK Foreign Office is warning ex-patriots in Saudi Arabia to be "extra vigilant" after the third and latest attack on British nationals.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks and the Foreign Office said it was still too early to link the explosions.

A Foreign Office spokesman told CNN.com Europe that it had updated travel advice to Britons travelling to the area and to those living in Saudi Arabia.

He said: "We are very concerned about these attacks and we are taking them very seriously. The safety of the British community abroad is paramount and we are urging people to be extra vigilant."

He added that it was too early to link the three attacks.

A message on the Foreign Office Website says: "It is particularly important to be aware of vehicle security. You should always lock and garage your car, and examine your car after you have left it in a public area."

On November 17, a car bomb killed Briton Christopher Rodway, a 47-year-old hospital engineer from Gloucestershire, and wounded his wife Jane, 50.

Five days later, a bomb exploded in another car, wounding two men and a woman.

"It's very serious and I don't want to speculate on who was responsible," said Foreign Office minister Peter Hain.

"We have had a British police team out there investigating the situation with the Saudi authorities."

Saudi authorities have suggested the two earlier blasts had personal rather than political motives.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Briton hurt in Saudi blast
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Britons targeted in new Saudi bomb attack
November 23, 2000
Briton dies in Saudi blast
November 17, 2000

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