Several shots were fired Thursday at the Saudi embassy in the Dutch city of The Hague.
The Hague:
Several shots were fired at the Saudi embassy in the Dutch city of The Hague on Thursday, causing damage but no injuries, police said.
The incident comes a day after a bombing hit a World War I commemoration attended by foreign diplomats in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry said it was taking the shooting “very seriously”.
“At around 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) we received a report that several shots had been fired at the building of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in The Hague. No one was injured,” said The Hague Police on Twitter.
Many bullet holes could still be seen in the windows, an AFP reporter said. Police sealed off the entrance to the building with tape first, followed by steel doors.
Bullet casings were found at the scene, the Dutch news agency ANP said citing police.
Police spokesman Steven van Santen said an “investigation was underway”.
“A forensic examination is underway. These are marks on bullet holes and bullets,” van Santen told AFP.
The motive for the shooting was not known.
The Saudi Embassy confirmed that none of its staff were injured and said it had urged Saudi citizens in the Netherlands to “exercise caution”.
“Embassy security officials informed security authorities of the incident as soon as it occurred,” the Saudi embassy said in an Arabic statement posted on Twitter.
The Saudi government “condemns this cowardly attack and thanks the Dutch authorities for their swift response.”
A spokesperson for the Dutch Foreign Ministry said the ministry “takes this very seriously and is in close contact with the Saudi authorities.”
On Wednesday, a bomb in a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah struck an Armistice Day commemoration attended by diplomats from France, Greece, Italy, Britain and the United States.
At least two people were injured.
