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Published image, AFP
Last month, a guard at the French consulate in Jeddah was stabbed by a Saudi man
Several people were injured Wednesday in a bomb attack during a celebration of the anniversary of the First World War, organized by the French Embassy, and in the presence of European diplomats in a cemetery of non-Muslims in Jeddah , in Saudi Arabia.
The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the annual ceremony held to commemorate the end of World War I in a cemetery for non-Muslims in the city of Jeddah, attended by a number of consulates, including the French consulate, was the target of an explosive device attack Wednesday morning, which led to many people were injured. “
A Greek government official said that “an explosion of any kind occurred in a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, during an event attended by foreign embassies. Four were slightly injured, including one Greek, following the explosion “.
For their part, local authorities in Mecca governorate said a Greek citizen and a Saudi security guard were injured in a “cowardly” attack on a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah.
The state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV station said authorities secured the cemetery after the crash and showed photos of surrounding streets, adding that traffic had returned to normal in the area and the situation was stable.
The Saudi press agency said in a statement that the security services were investigating the attack, adding that a group of representatives from European consulates were among the participants.
The embassies that participated in the commemoration condemned the attack, calling it “cowardly, with no justification”.
He also called on the Saudi authorities to shed as much light as possible on this attack, to identify the perpetrators and to prosecute them.
The embassies of France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States have assured the Saudi authorities of their availability to provide support in the investigation into the attack and its perpetrators.
The French consulate in Jeddah urged its citizens residing and visiting Saudi Arabia to exercise “the utmost caution”, especially when moving and avoiding gatherings, in the aftermath of the attack.
A correspondent for the French newspaper “Le Figaro” tweeted: “A hand grenade was thrown during the celebration, injuring at least two people”.
Clarence Rodriguez, a French journalist based in Saudi Arabia, posted on Twitter a photo from the cemetery showing an injured person being taken care of. He wrote her a comment saying that the attack took place in the presence of the Consul General of France, the UK and Ireland, in addition to other arrivals.
Saudi state television confirmed the crash, but said the situation was stable. The Saudi government’s communications office did not respond to a request for comment on the incident. Details are still unclear at this time.
The attack is the second security incident to take place in Jeddah in the past two weeks, though on October 29, authorities arrested a Saudi man after he was stabbed by a security guard at the French consulate.
There has been speculation that the attacks could be linked to the reposting of Charlie Hebdo’s insulting cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad and the defense of France as a free speech issue, and outrage in some parts from the Arab and Islamic world.
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