Islamic State claims responsibility for Jeddah attack
The explosion at the World War II commemoration follows a stabbing at the French Consulate in Jeddah last month.
The Islamic State has taken credit for the explosion Wednesday at a World War I remembrance ceremony in the Saudi city of Jeddah that was organized by the French Consulate and attended by various European and American diplomats.
A Saudi security guard and Greek consulate worker were injured in the blast, which was the second attack in two weeks to target foreign officials in Saudi Arabia.
A statement posted to the official IS Telegram channel on Wednesday said the group’s “soldiers” had “planted an explosive device” in the non-Muslim cemetery. The statement did not provide any evidence to support the claim of responsibility.
The government of Mecca province said Wednesday that security forces were investigating the “failed and cowardly attack.” The French Embassy in Saudi Arabia pledged to support the Saudi investigators, writing in a statement, “Such attacks on innocent people are shameful and entirely without justification.”
