The US State Department said on Wednesday that two persons were murdered after an armed man engaged Saudi Arabian security forces in gunfire near the US consulate building in Jeddah. The shooter and a security guard were both killed in the incident.
According to a statement from the State Department, no Americans were hurt in the event.
“A person in a car stopped near the American Consulate building in Jeddah Governorate and got out of it carrying a firearm in his hand, so security authorities took the initiative to deal with him as required, and the exchange of fire resulted in his death,” a spokesperson for the Makkah Region police said.
A Nepalese worker in the consulate’s private security guards was injured and subsequently died, state news agency SPA reported.
Investigations are underway into the shootings.
“The US Embassy and Consulate remain in contact with Saudi authorities as they investigate the incident,” the State Department spokesperson said.
The consulate has experienced multiple recent attacks. In 2016, a blast close to the facility resulted in the death of a suicide bomber and two injuries.
In addition, five individuals invaded the US embassy in 2004 while armed with explosives and firearms, murdering five local employees and four Saudi security personnel. In the assault, two of the assailants were caught and three of them were slain.
The Jeddah incident in 2004 came after earlier fatal bombs and killings that targeted foreigner housing complexes, Westerners working in the kingdom, and other targets as part of an al Qaeda attempt to overthrow the Al Saud family, who had been in power.
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