2 dead in shooting incident near US consulate in Jeddah

WASHINGTON: The US State Department confirmed that a shooting incident occurred Wednesday near the US Consulate General in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, resulting in two deaths, including a local security guard and the assailant.

"We can confirm reports of a shooting incident today outside our Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There were two fatalities, including a member of the Consulate's local guard force as well as the assailant, who was killed by Saudi security forces," according to Xinhua, a State Department spokesperson was quoted by a Wall Street Journal reporter as saying.

"The US Embassy and Consulate remain in contact with Saudi authorities as they investigate the incident. The Consulate was appropriately locked down and no Americans were harmed in the attack," the spokesperson said.

-- BERNAMA