Several people were injured in an attack on a ceremony marking the end of World War I attended by European diplomats in Saudi Arabia, according to the French Foreign Ministry.
The explosion struck a cemetery in the coastal city of Jeddah as European officials held a remembrance service to mark the armistice, said a spokeswoman who couldn’t be named in line with ministry rules. She declined to elaborate on the number wounded and their citizenship.
The French consulate in Jeddah had taken part in the ceremony along with other European diplomats, the spokeswoman said.
“France firmly condemns this cowardly terror attack that nothing could justify,” she said.
The attack was the second in two weeks on French interests in the kingdom, after a Saudi assailant injured a guard with a sharp object outside the French consulate in Jeddah last month.
Authorities haven’t given a motive for either attack, which follow comments on Islam by French President Emmanuel Macron that triggered anger in the Middle East.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. consulate in Jeddah had warned citizens of an explosion at the non-Muslim cemetery in the city, without providing further details of the blast. The consulate advised Americans to avoid the area and exercise caution in public places, reminding them that terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
Several people were injured in an attack on a ceremony marking the end of World War I attended by European diplomats in Saudi Arabia, according to the French Foreign Ministry.
The explosion struck a cemetery in the coastal city of Jeddah as European officials held a remembrance service to mark the armistice, said a spokeswoman who couldn’t be named in line with ministry rules. She declined to elaborate on the number wounded and their citizenship.
The French consulate in Jeddah had taken part in the ceremony along with other European diplomats, the spokeswoman said.
“France firmly condemns this cowardly terror attack that nothing could justify,” she said.
The attack was the second in two weeks on French interests in the kingdom, after a Saudi assailant injured a guard with a sharp object outside the French consulate in Jeddah last month.
Authorities haven’t given a motive for either attack, which follow comments on Islam by French President Emmanuel Macron that triggered anger in the Middle East.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. consulate in Jeddah had warned citizens of an explosion at the non-Muslim cemetery in the city, without providing further details of the blast. The consulate advised Americans to avoid the area and exercise caution in public places, reminding them that terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
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