Nine Northrop Grumman Employees Killed in Attack

Northrop Grumman Corporation confirmed that nine employees of its Vinnell Corporation subsidiary were killed Monday evening in an apparent terrorist attack on a company facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Identities of the deceased were not disclosed and the families of those employees have been notified. A residential and office facility used by employees of Vinnell Arabia was one of three compounds attacked. Of the nine Vinnell employees killed, seven were U.S. citizens and two were citizens of the Philippines. Several Vinnell employees were injured and taken to area hospitals and a number have been treated and released. Fifteen remain hospitalized, two in serious condition. The identities of the injured people have not been disclosed. A small number of dependent families lived within the Vinnell compound; none were harmed in the attack. "We are deeply shocked by this senseless attack and mourn the loss of our colleagues," said Donald C. Winter, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. "All of us at Northrop Grumman extend our deepest sympathy to those who have lost loved ones. We also want to thank Secretary of State Colin Powell for his visit today to the Vinnell compound and for his support during this difficult time. We continue to work closely with the U.S. government to secure the safety of all company employees and their dependents in Saudi Arabia." Vinnell Arabia is under contract to the U.S. Army to provide training services to the Saudi Arabian National Guard. The company employs about 800 people in Riyadh, a combination of United States, Saudi Arabian and citizens of other countries. U.S. citizens number 300. Vinnell Corporation is part of Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, based in Reston, Va., is a $3.5 billion global integrator of complex, mission-enabling systems and services for defense, intelligence and civil government markets. The sector's technology leadership and expertise spans areas such as strategic systems, including ICBMs; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; command and control; and technical services and training.