World IN BRIEF : SAUDI ARABIA : Computer Blamed for Patriot Failure

The Army says a computer problem in the Patriot missile system enabled an Iraqi Scud to hit an American barracks in Saudi Arabia, killing 28 people, a newspaper reported. The Scud destroyed the barracks in Al Khobar near Dhahran on Feb. 25, killing more Americans than any other attack in the Persian Gulf War. Army investigators were quoted in the New York Times as saying they concluded that a computer failure had paralyzed the Patriot system. During the attack, which also wounded 97 people, no Patriots were fired as the Scud came down.