A Saudi man was arrested on Thursday after attacking a guard at the French consulate in Jeddah with a “sharp object”, the state news agency reported.
“The guard sustained minor injuries as a result of the attack,” the state news agency said.
Makkah Region’s police spokesman, Maj Muhammad Al Ghamdi, said the man in his forties was arrested for attacking the guard at the consulate.
The victim suffered minor injuries, he said, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, Maj Al Ghamdi said.
The suspect was arrested and legal measures will be taken, he said. The nationality of the guard was not disclosed.
The French embassy in the kingdom condemned the attack and reassured that the guard’s injuries were not “a cause for concern”.
The embassy expressed its full confidence in the Saudi authorities to “uncover the circumstances of the incident”.
It called on French citizens in the kingdom to “take the utmost caution”.
Security around the Jeddah consulate was stepped up, with Saudi police cars patrolling the complex at regular intervals.
The UAE condemned the attack, calling it an "act of sabotage".
"We express our rejection of all forms of violence that aim to destabilise security and stability, and are inconsistent with religious and humanitarian values and principles," the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said.
Authorities have not disclosed the attacker's motive but it comes as anger has been growing around the world after French President Emmanuel Macron defended cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed that were deemed offensive to Islam.
Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet this week rejected any link between Islam and terrorism, but said the cartoons were offensive to Muslims.
Ministers renewed the government’s “condemnation and rejection of every terrorist act or practices, and actions that generate hatred, violence, and extremism”, while affirming that intellectual freedom is a means of respect, tolerance and peace.
The incident in Jeddah comes as three people were killed and several others injured after a terrorist knife attack at a church in the southern French city of Nice on Thursday.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
Guardians%20of%20the%20Galaxy%20Vol%203
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Gunn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Dave%20Bautista%2C%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Bradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
