Suicide bomber strikes near to US consulate in Jeddah

A suicide bomber carried out an attack in the vicinity of a US consulate in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah early on Monday.

The Sabq news website reported that two security guards were wounded in the attack.

The Saudi Arabian interior ministry said in a statement that the attacker detonated his suicide vest when security guards approached him near the parking area of a hospital.

“The attacker caught the attention of the security guards, who noticed he was acting suspiciously at an intersection located on the corner of the heavily fortified US consulate, located by the Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital,” ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said in the statement.

Most of the consulate’s staff had reportedly moved offices to a new location.

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has confirmed in a statement that there were no casualties or injuries among consular staff, the Guardian reports.

The interior ministry reportedly said an investigation was underway to determine the attacker’s identity, while stood back of specifying if the attacker was intending to target the US diplomatic compound.