RIYADH, Oct 21: The US and Australian governments have issued warnings of an imminent threat of militant attacks against oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. More than 90 percent of Saudi oil is produced in that province.

In February, militants made an abortive attempt on the Abqaiq crude processing facility.

With a capacity to process some seven million barrels of crude per day, Abqaiq, 60kms from the Dhahran port, is considered the world’s largest oil gathering and processing centre.

The US government on Friday issued a ‘warden message’ to alert US citizens. “The US government has received new information of a potential threat to oil facilities in the Eastern Province, including those operated by Saudi Aramco,” according to the message.

“New information indicates threats against westerners living in Saudi Arabia continue,” said the message, posted on the US State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council website.

The Australian government, too, has warned its citizens to refrain from travelling to Saudi Arabia, saying there was a very high danger of imminent terrorist attacks, including on foreign residential compounds.