06 July,2016 06:22 AM IST | | Agencies
Suicide bomber was a resident of the kingdom, who had arrived 12 years ago to work as a driver
In this Monday July 4, 2016 TV grab from footage released by Al-Ekhbariya, Saudi security forces investigate the scene of the explosion in Jeddah.
Dubai: Saudi Arabia yesterday identified the suicide bomber who struck outside the US Consulate in Jeddah as a Pakistani resident of the kingdom who arrived 12 years ago to work as a driver.
In this Monday July 4, 2016 TV grab from footage released by Al-Ekhbariya, Saudi security forces investigate the scene of the explosion in Jeddah. Pic/AFP
An Interior Ministry statement issued yesterday identified the man behind the Jeddah attack as 34-year-old Abdullah Qalzar Khan. It said he lived in the port city with "his wife and her parents." The statement didn't elaborate further. In that attack, the bomber detonated his explosives after two security guards approached him, killing himself and wounding the two guards, the Interior Ministry said. No consular staff were hurt.
The suicide bombing near the diplomatic post was the first of three targeting the kingdom on Monday, including one outside of the sprawling mosque grounds in Medina.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks. The nature of the attacks and their apparently coordinated timing suggested the ISIS group could be to blame.
9 million
The number of foreigners in Saudi Arabia, which has a total population of 30 million
