France says Jeddah blast wounds several, condemns 'cowardly attack'

Reuters Posted at Nov 11 2020 08:56 PM ATHENS/RIYADH — Four people were injured by a blast in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday, a Greek government official said, in what France described as a "cowardly attack" involving an explosive device at an event involving foreign embassies. "There was some sort of a blast at the non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah. There are four slightly injured, among them one Greek," the Greek official told Reuters, declining to be named. France's Foreign Ministry said the attack had taken place at a ceremony marking the end of World War One and that several people had been wounded as a result of an explosive device. "The embassies that were involved in the commemoration ceremony condemn this cowardly attack, which is completely unjustified. They call on the Saudi authorities to shed as much light as they can on this attack, and to identify and hunt down the perpetrators," said the French Foreign Ministry. A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters the attack happened early on Wednesday when several diplomatic delegations from the European Union and other countries were present at a Remembrance Day event organized by the French embassy. The Saudi government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The blast is the second security incident to take place in Jeddah in the last couple of weeks. On Oct. 29, a Saudi man was arrested after attacking and wounding a security guard at the French consulate there.