The attacker was arrested by the Saudi security forces immediately after the attack (Representation)
Jeddah. Saudi Arabia:
A Saudi citizen injured a guard in a knife attack on the French consulate in Jeddah on Thursday, officials said, as France faces growing anger over satirical cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
The assault follows another knife attack on a church in the French city of Nice that left three dead and several others injured, what authorities consider the latest jihadist attack aimed at rocking the country.
“The assailant was apprehended by Saudi security forces immediately after the attack. The guard was taken to hospital and his life is not in danger,” the French embassy said in a statement.
Police in Mecca province, where Jeddah is located, said the attacker was Saudi, but did not give the nationality of the guard, who they said suffered minor injuries.
The French Embassy in Riyadh strongly condemned the attack and urged its nationals in Saudi Arabia to exercise “extreme vigilance”.
Neither the Saudi authorities nor the French embassy gave any indication of the motivation for the attack.
But it comes after French President Emmanuel Macron vigorously defended the publication of satirical caricatures of Prophet Mohammed by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on the grounds of free speech.
Saudi Arabia, the heavyweight of the region – home to Islam’s holiest sites – criticized the cartoons, saying it rejects “any attempt to link Islam and terrorism”, but it does not did not condemn the French leaders.
Macron’s defense of Charlie Hebdo’s right to publish drawings of the Prophet, which is banned under Islam, came after the brutal murder on October 16 of a French teacher who showed cartoons to students during the ” a class discussion on freedom of expression.
Spotlight on Arabia
History teacher Samuel Paty was killed by 18-year-old Chechen Abdullakh Anzorov, who committed the gruesome crime outside Paty’s school in a Paris suburb after the teacher was exposed by angry parents on social media.
His assassination prompted Macron to promise a crackdown on Islamic extremism, including the closure of mosques and organizations accused of fomenting radicalism and violence.
Charlie Hebdo was targeted by jihadists in a 2015 massacre that killed 12 people, including some of its most famous cartoonists.
France has been on high alert for terrorist attacks since the massacre. The trial of the alleged accomplices of this attack is underway in Paris.
Muslims in the region celebrate the anniversary of the Prophet’s birthday on Thursday.
The attack on Jeddah shines a light on Saudi Arabia, long criticized for promoting an ultra-conservative form of Islam.
The kingdom, however, is now in the midst of a once-unimaginable liberalization drive, as it pushes a new era of openness while de-emphasizing religion.
As part of the controversial campaign, the kingdom introduced glitzy mixed concerts, magic shows and sporting extravagances with booming parties.
Last November, a Yemeni national injured four Spanish nationals in a series of stab wounds during a theatrical performance in Riyadh.
Saudi state media have blamed al Qaeda, but so far there has been no claim of accountability from the group and observers point to simmering resentment among the kingdom’s arch-conservatives over the the entertainment push.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
