DUBAI: An attacker opened fire at a checkpoint at the Al-Salam Palace in the coastal city of Jeddah, killing two royal guards in a rare attack directed at the Saudi ruling family as authorities in the kingdom battle extremists and crack down on dissent. Three other guards were wounded in the attack, which was attributed to a 28-year-old Saudi national who also was killed by the Royal Guard at the western gate of the palace, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. King Salman, who was travelling outside the country during the attack, often holds government meetings and hosts foreign leaders at the palace. The last known major assault on the royal family dates back to 2009 when a suicide bomber unsuccessfully tried to kill Mohammed in Nayef, who was then leading the crackdown on al-Qaeda militants as assistant interior minister. Also last week, 22 people were arrested for undermining state security including the posting of videos on social media that “incite public order,” SPA reported.

Source: Bangkok Post October 08, 2017 07:18 UTC