Riyadh: Saudi authorities have urged its nationals in the Turkish city of Istanbul to “exercise vigilance and caution” after two Saudi men had been subjected to an armed attack by unknown people there.
Both men were at a coffee shop in Istanbul’s district of Sisli where they experienced the attack that injured one of them and resulted in stealing their personal belongings, the Saudi embassy in Turkey said.
“The embassy asks male and female citizens, who are present in Istanbul, to exercise vigilance and caution. It also advises against going to the areas of Taksim and Sisli after the sunset,” the mission said in a Twitter statement.
Both areas are popular destinations in Istanbul.
In recent months, Saudi authorities have issued a series of travel advice for Saudis going to Turkey on leisurely visits or business after some of them were victims of theft and fraud.
The numbers of Saudi tourists to Turkey have dropped by 33.2 per cent in the first half of this year compared to the corresponding period of 2018, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported last month, citing Turkish figures.
