Suicide attack thwarted near U.S. consulate in Jeddah

Suicide Attack Carried out Near US Diplomatic Site in Saudi Arabia
By AYA BATRAWY with additional reporting from Washington by AP writer Douglass Daniel 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

Jul 3, 2016, 11:25 PM EDT

Associated Press

A suicide bomber carried out an attack early Monday near a U.S. diplomatic site in the western Saudi city of Jiddah, according to the Interior Ministry.

The ministry said in a statement the attacker detonated his suicide vest when security guards approached him near the parking lot of a hospital. The attacker died and two security men were wounded with minor injuries, according to the statement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Some cars in the parking lot were damaged.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said in the statement 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 U.S. consulate in Jiddah, located by the Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital. Most of the consulate's staff had reportedly moved offices to a new location.

The Interior Ministry did not specify if the attacker was intending to target the U.S. diplomatic compound, saying an investigation was underway to determine his identity.

U.S. Embassy officials in Saudi Arabia could not be immediately reached for comment. A State Department spokesperson, who was not authorized to be named and spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. officials are aware of reports of an explosion in Jiddah and are working with Saudi authorities to collect more information.

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