Jeddah Incident: US Thanks Saudi Arabia for Supporting its Diplomatic Missions

Despite several days passing since the exchange of gunfire between an armed individual and Saudi security forces near the US Consulate building in Jeddah, the incident continues to unfold.

The United States, which confirmed two days ago the Saudi statement that no American casualties occurred in the incident, had its Secretary of State speak with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Friday.

The spokesperson for the US Department of State, Matthew Miller, stated in a press release published on their website that Secretary Antony Blinken had a conversation with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, discussing the shooting incident near the US Consulate building in Jeddah.

The US Secretary of State expressed gratitude to his Saudi counterpart for the Kingdom’s support during the shooting incident near the US Consulate building in Jeddah, which resulted in the death of a security guard and the armed individual.

According to the spokesperson for the US Department of State, Blinken thanked the Saudi Minister for their “ongoing support to our diplomatic missions.”

US Denial

The US Department of State, in a statement issued on Thursday, denied any American citizens being injured in the gunfire exchange carried out by an assailant in front of their consulate in Jeddah. The statement mentioned that the attacker was killed in addition to one of the consulate guards.

A spokesperson for the department stated in the statement, “The US Embassy and Consulate remain in contact with the Saudi authorities as an investigation into the incident takes place.”

This is Not the First

The US Consulate in Jeddah has been subjected to several attacks in the past, with the most recent being a suicide bombing on US Independence Day, July 4, 2016.

The Saudi authorities closed the road leading to the consulate located in the vibrant neighborhood near the Red Sea coast for over a year, before the US authorities decided to relocate it to the Al-Mohammadiyah district, away from the densely populated areas.

The US Consulate also experienced another attack in December 2004, resulting in the deaths of five individuals.