By Wendy S. Ross
Washington File White House Correspondent

Washington -- President Bush denounced the terrorist attacks at three housing compounds for foreigners in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the work of "killers whose only faith is hate" and said "the United States will find the killers, and they will learn the meaning of American justice."

Estimates of casualties in the attacks varied widely. Early press reports said at least 29 persons, of whom ten were said to be U.S. citizens, were killed and some 200 persons were injured in the four attacks that occurred late May 12, and early May 13. In a Washington speech May 13, Vice President Cheney said "some 91 people" were killed.

"(T)he ruthless murder of American citizens and other citizens, reminds us that the war on terror continues," Bush said. "My thoughts and prayers and those of our fellow citizens are with the families of the victims of yesterday's murder in Saudi Arabia. We pray for them. We mourn the loss of life."

"(A)nytime anybody attacks our homeland, anytime anybody attacks our fellow citizens, we'll be on the hunt, and we'll find them and they will be brought to justice," he said.

Though Bush stopped short of blaming the terrorist group al Qaeda by name for the attacks, Secretary of State Colin Powell, as he toured the site of one of the attacks May 13, said the bombings had "all the fingerprints of an al Qaeda operation."

In his remarks, Bush said "we've destroyed about one-half of al Qaeda, the top operators of al Qaeda, and that's good. But we've got more work to do. And the other half of them are going to get on the run, and we will find them."

The president spoke at the Indiana State Fairgrounds as he continued a Midwest tour to promote his proposed tax-cut and economic stimulus plan. From Indiana Bush flew to Missouri.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters on Air Force One as they accompanied the president to Missouri that President Bush "is angry" about what happened.

"Terrorists attacked our fellow citizens and took innocent lives. And this is why this president has repeatedly said to this country that this is a war against terror. And he is determined to wage it. That terrorists will not be able to attack us with impunity, that we are engaged in a battle and the enemy struck against us yesterday. And he is determined to wage this war for whatever period of time it takes, so we can prevail," the press secretary said.

Fleischer said the attacks are "a reminder to the American people that the war is ongoing. And this is why our operations will continue unabated, to round up, to arrest, to bring to justice, to work closely with allied nations in the war against terror."

Fleischer reported that an FBI team has been dispatched to Saudi Arabia to help investigate the bombings, and the State Department has sent people to Riyadh hospitals "to identify whether or not United States citizens are present." The State Department, he said, also has established a unit to monitor subsequent developments and has set up an 800 phone number and offices for families to contact to identify U.S. citizens found.

In addition, the United States is working closely with the government of Saudi Arabia as it investigates the bombings, Fleischer said. "These terrorists have targeted the United States and other countries. It's likely several other nations have been hit by this attack. Saudi Arabia is the host country and we are working closely with the Saudis," he said.

Asked if President Bush believes al Qaeda is involved in the car bombings, Fleischer said, "I'm not going to engage in any speculation. Obviously, we have some suspicions. But as for the president, the president will await the word of the experts who review these matters."

Asked about reports that some of the possible suspects may have ties to Iran, Fleischer said, "There are numerous reports; they will all be thoroughly looked through. I'm not going to speculate about any one or other report."

Fleischer, in response to a question, said the attacks will not affect in any way U.S. plans to pull its military out of Saudi Arabia. "(T)his has no impact on our military operations," he said.

Fleischer said President Bush was first informed of the attacks following a May 12 speech in Omaha, Nebraska. He later conferred by phone with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card on the situation and "has been monitoring events as events warrant."