Saudi security forces killed a gunman who opened fire yesterday on a checkpoint near the palace of Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, the interior minister.
Police said they were unable to determine whether the incident in Jeddah was a militant terrorist attack.
"At 1am on Saturday, a person carrying a gun fired at a checkpoint in Abdulrahman Al Malki Street. He was dealt with swiftly and was killed," the Saudi Press Agency said. There were no other deaths or casualties, it said.
Prince Nayef's son, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who oversees the Saudi counter-terrorism programme, survived a suicide bombing in August 2009.
Abdullah Hassan Al Aseery, a militant linked to Al Qaeda, blew himself up after gaining entry to Prince Mohammed's palace by feigning an interest in the country's terrorist rehabilitation programme. The prince was slightly injured.
Police First Lieutenant Nawaf Nasser said he could not confirm that yesterday's incident was a similar militant attack. An investigation was under way, he said.
* With additional reporting by Reuters
