Aparna Jayabal P
16th November 2020
The Saudi Police closed the street leading to the non-muslim cemetery where the Bomb struck. (Source: The Times of India)
A bomb blast at a World War I commemoration ceremony in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday left two people injured. This attack at a non-muslim cemetery was the second one targeting diplomatic missions in the recent week not so soon after a guard at the French consulate in Jeddah was injured by a Saudi citizen with a knife.
Many countries had representatives at Wednesday’s event, which was held at a cemetery for non-Muslim dead and was attended by foreign diplomats. France's foreign ministry said, “The annual ceremony commemorating the end of World War I at the non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, attended by several consulates, including that of France, was the target of an IED (improvised explosive device) attack this morning, which injured several people.” The bomb went off while the French consul was delivering a speech at the ceremony according to an eye witness, Nadia Chaaya. "At the end of the speech, we heard an explosion. We didn't quite understand it at first, but we then realised that we were the target," Chaaya told France's BFMTV.
According to the Deccan Herald, The French embassy in Riyadh has urged its nationals in Saudi Arabia to exercise "extreme vigilance" since the attack at the Jeddah consulate on October 29, the same day a knife-wielding man killed three people in a church in Nice in southern France. A Greek Policeman residing in the kingdom and a Saudi Policeman were the two people who were wounded. The Saudi security service is to launch an investigation into this incident. The embassy’s while condemning the shameful attack also praised the brave Saudi first responders who were the first to assist the people at the scene to safety. The Roads to the cemetery were blocked by the police. James Cleverly, the British minister for the Middle East and North Africa quoted, "I have full confidence the Saudi Authorities will investigate this attack and prosecute those responsible for this cowardly act”.
(Sources: Deccan Herald, The Times Of India, DW)
Edited by: Tanya Jain, Anjali Dinesh