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Policemen stand guard at the site where a suicide bomber blew himself up in the early hours of yesterday near the American consulate in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. Image Credit: AFP

RIYADH: A suicide bomber blew himself up near the United States consulate in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea city of Jeddah in the early hours of Monday, the interior ministry said.

 

Security officers became suspicious of a man near the parking lot of Dr Suleiman Faqeeh Hospital, which is directly across from the US diplomatic mission.

 

When they moved in to investigate “he blew himself up with a suicide belt inside the hospital parking” at around 2:15am (2315 GMT Sunday), the ministry said, adding that two security officers were lightly injured.

A picture carried by the Sabq online newspaper appeared to show a large body part lying on the ground between a taxi and the open door of another car, peppered with shrapnel holes.

Investigators are trying to identify the culprit, the interior ministry added. AFP could not reach the US State Department for comment.

The explosion happened shortly before the dawn prayers. There was no immediate word on who was responsible.

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Security personnel in front of a mosque in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Image Credit: Reuters
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