A Saudi man believed to be in his thirties, driving in 2001 Nissan Maxima, opened fire on guards at the U.S. consulate in Jeddah. The incident led to a car chase and shoot out with security forces near the consulate. According to a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Interior, " at 5:30pm local time today, a car driving by the consulate fired on security guards. Saudi security forces chased the car and a gunfight ensued, in which the car was damaged. An armed individual exited the vehicle and was subsequently apprehended by authorities. The suspect sustained moderate injuries." Sources close to the investigation told Asharq Al-Awsat that the armed man appeared confused and unstable during questioning, and was arrested in the past for numerous offences. Security Sources also revealed that investigators are looking into the man's past, in an effort to identify his motives, or any ties he might have with any terrorist cells.
| Actually, I'd buy that story. Soddy Arabia's crawling with enough nutters that every shot fired doesn't have to be al-Qaeda, and if this one was it was a pretty poorly thought-out and executed attack. |