Saudis shoot down drone in Riyadh

The Saudi authorities have begun an investigation into the circumstances of the drone flight

epa06671026 A handout photo made available by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) shows Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz waiting to receive other Arab leaders ahead of the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 15 April 2018. The summit is held one day after the US, France, and Britain launched strikes against Syria on 14 April in response to Syria's suspected chemical weapons attack. Arab leaders are also expected to discuss tension with Iran, Palestinian issue, and developments in Yemen, Lebanon and Libya.  EPA/SAUDI PRESS AGENCY HANDOUT  HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
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The government of Saudi Arabia has ruled out any major security breach after security forces shot down an unidentified toy drone hovering over a neighbourhood home to royal palaces in Riyadh.

Unconfirmed videos on social media appeared to show heavy volleys of gunfire in the area, triggering speculation of a possible coup attempt. However, the government denied such reports and an investigation into the incident was launched.

An official spotted the drone in Khozama district, where the royal palaces are located, and dealt with it “according to their orders and instructions”, a statement from Riyadh police said late Saturday.

Saudi’s King Salman was not in a palace at the time of the attack, according to a senior official cited by Reuters. The statement came after footage was circulated online that included the apparent sound of gunfire in the Saudi capital.

The Yemeni government has said that Iran supplied the country’s Houthi rebels with drones used to attack Saudi Arabia.

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