Saudi man arrested after stabbing guard at French consulate in Jeddah

The attack happened shortly after a knife-wielding man shouting “Allahu Akbar” beheaded a woman and killed two other people in France on Thursday morning

A Saudi citizen wounded a guard in a knife attack at the French consulate in the port city of Jeddah on Thursday, said the French embassy in Saudi Arabia. The attacker was arrested immediately after the attack.

The French embassy in Saudi Arabia said the consulate in Jeddah was subject to a “knife attack which targeted a guard”, adding that the guard was taken to hospital and his life was not in danger.

The statement, which was posted on Twitter, said the French embassy “strongly condemns” the attack against a diplomatic outpost.

Police in Mecca province, where Jeddah is situated, said the attacker was a Saudi, but it did not give the nationality of the guard, who they said had sustained minor injuries.

Neither the Saudi authorities nor the French embassy gave any indication of the motivation for the attack.

The attack happened shortly after a knife-wielding man shouting “Allahu Akbar” beheaded a woman and killed two other people in the southern French city of Nice earlier on Thursday. Nice’s mayor described the attack as terrorism.

Read more: France24