A US national has been shot dead in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
In the sixth attack on Westerners in six weeks, witnesses said the man was shot while parking his car outside his house in the Maathar district.
"There were bullet holes in the rear window of the car and the driver's window was also shattered," one witness said.
Saudi security sources said earlier they believed the dead man was British. The British embassy was unable to confirm the report and the US embassy later said it understood the man to be an American.
Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has vowed that 2004 would be "bloody and miserable" for the kingdom, a key US ally.
Saudi Arabia has been fighting militants loyal to al Qaeda for a year, arresting and killing many, including eight on a wanted list of 26 militants. Riyadh says militants are going for soft targets after the clampdown.