According to
the state-run Saudi Press Agency after a man detonated an explosive near the
U.S. Consulate in Jeddah a suicide bomber killed only himself.
Early Monday
morning, the Saudi police became suspicious of a man who appeared to be roaming
around a parking lot of a major hospital, the news agency reported. When
officers approached him, the man detonated what appeared to be an explosive
belt.
The explosion
happened roughly 33 feet (10 meters) from the consulate's wall. Witnesses told CNN the blast occurred around
3 am local time and that it appeared that at least two police officers were
slightly injured in the attack.
The Saudi
news agency reported that the policemen were slightly injured and that they
were taken to the hospital. The report did not specify how many were hurt.
None of the
bystanders in the parking lot were injured in the attack, according to SPA.
Police found
three devices inside the bomber's car. A bomb disposal unit used a robot to
detonate them, said a journalist who was on the scene. The Saudi Interior
Ministry is investigating the case, according to the SPA.
A U.S. State
Department official told CNN that all chief of mission personnel were accounted
for. The bombing came after a week of attacks in Turkey, Bangladesh and Iraq,
which have left many on edge.
In 2004, the
U.S. consulate in Jeddah was attacked by gunmen linked to al Qaeda, who killed
five employees.
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