2 dead in gun attack outside US consulate in Jeddah
The US State Department confirms no Americans were harmed in the attack and the consulate was put on lockdown.
-
Saudi special forces gather outside the US consulate in Jeddah in 2004, after an attack on the building (AP)
Following a shootout on Wednesday in front of the US consulate in the Saudi city of Jeddah, a Nepalese security guard and the gunman were killed during the exchange, according to officials.
The official Saudi Press Agency quoted the police as saying that "at 6:45 pm (1545 GMT), a man stopped in a car in front of the consulate building and got out with a weapon in his hand," adding that "security forces reacted... resulting in an exchange of fire that killed the assailant".
The security officer was wounded and later succumbed to his wounds.
Meanwhile, the US State Department confirmed that no Americans were harmed and the consulate was put on lockdown., adding that the US remains in touch with Saudi Arabia for the launch of the investigation.
Read next: Biden to Arab leaders: US won't 'let go' of Middle East
The attack took place during a time when the country is welcoming some 1.8 million Muslims for the annual hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, around 70 kilometers (44 miles) from Jeddah.
Previous attacks have occurred at the consulate such as one on July 4, 2016, on Independence Day in the United States, when a suicide bomber blew himself up, and another in December 2004, when an attack left five people dead.
