Saudi security foils terror attack on royal palace in Jeddah

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday the foiling of a terror attack against a palace in Jeddah, Saudi Press Agency reported. The spokesman of the Interior Ministry said in a statement that a person got out of a car and suddenly started firing at the forces of the Royal Guard located in front of the western gate of the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah at 3:15 p.m. local time. The guards shot back and killed the gunman after he killed two security men and injured another three, Xinhua news agency reported. The spokesperson identified the attacker as Mansour al-Amri, a 28-year-old Saudi national who carried a Kalashnikov machine gun and three Molotov cocktails. He said that security authorities are carrying out investigations, and any developments will be announced later. The US embassy issued an emergency message on its website warning of a “security incident” outside the palace. “Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity, American citizens are advised to exercise caution when traveling through the area,” the embassy posted on its site. The incident took place two days after the announced busting of a terror cell linked to IS terrorist group in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has been engaged in an anti-terror war following a series of IS-claimed deadly blasts across the kingdom in recent years. IANS inputs