A GRIEVING Wilton man has spoken of his anguish at the death of his son in a car bomb attack in Saudi Arabia.

Christopher Rodway (47), a former Salisbury District Hospital engineer who had lived in Netherhampton, was killed instantly when his car exploded in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

Miraculously his wife Jane (50), who had been sitting next to him at the time of the blast, escaped with only superficial injuries.

The couple had lived in Saudi Arabia for eight years while Mr Rodway had been working in the VIP section of Riyadh military hospital.

Father Jerry (69) was on a weekend break when his daughter called him with the news. "You read about things like this in the papers or see them on TV and always think God forbid that it should happen to you or someone you know," said Mr Rodway, a former Army officer.

"Suddenly it has. It's been absolutely horrendous but I'm determined to get to the bottom of this come hell or high water."

His primary concern at this stage is for the wellbeing of his daughter-in-law Jane. She is under police protection in Saudi while the investigation team attempts to rule out the possibility of the attack being personal.

"What has happened is going to stay with Jane for the rest of her life," said Mr Rodway. "Shock is an awful thing. Thankfully, though, Jane is surrounded by friends."

The 26,000 Britons in Saudi Arabia have been warned to exercise extreme caution after four of Mr Rodway's British colleagues from the military hospital were injured in a second car bomb blast.

Mr Rodway believes his son is a political victim of the latest wave of unrest in the Middle East.