Dubai: Four people, including a Greek officer, have been injured in a bomb attack at a non-Muslim cemetery in the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The bomb blast happened during a ceremony commemorating the Armistice Agreement, the French Foreign Ministry said.
Saudi security authorities cordoned off the ceremony following the attack, banning entry. The Saudi state TV showed footage of the area around the cemetery, “The situation is now stable,” the TV said.
Sultan Al Dosari, media spokesman for the governorate of Mecca said that security authorities have launched an investigation into the cowardly attack that happened on Wednesday morning during the presence of a number of consuls in a ceremony in Jeddah.
He said the attack led to injuring a staff member of the Greek Consulate and a Saudi security man. “They sustained minor injuries, and security authorities have begun investigation into the incident, which is still under security follow-up,” he said.
The Foreign French Ministry in a statment condemned the unjustified act “A number of people have been injured in a bomb blast during a ceremony held at the non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah where a number of consuls-general, including the French consul, gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the end of the First World War,” the ministry said in a statement.
The embassies of France, Greece, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States strongly condemned the attack in a joined statement saying “Any attack that targets innocents is shameful and unjustified. We wish a swift recovery for the injured and our gratitude to the brave Saudis who rushed to provide help when the attack took place,”
They voiced their support for Saudi authorities in their investigation into the incident, to identify, arrest and prosecute perpetrators. The Foreign French Ministry called on Saudi authorities to shed more light on the attack and to identify and prosecute perpetrators.
According to an anonymous Greek official source speaking to Reuters, the Greek officer has been seriously injured and transferred to hospital.
