Britain apologises after egg thrown at Saudi general

BRITAIN has apologised after an egg was thrown at a Saudi military official visiting London last week, Saudi state media said yesterday.

An anti-war activist attempted a citizen’s arrest of General Ahmed Assiri, spokesman for the Saudi-led Gulf coalition fighting rebels in Yemen, before another threw an egg that hit him in the back.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the Saudi king and the country’s defence minister, to apologise for the attack on Assiri, the state-run SPA news agency said.

Assiri said he had been “subject to aggression” by protesters critical of Riyadh’s operations in Yemen.

A video posted on Twitter showed anti-war activist Sam Walton approaching Assiri, putting his hand on the general’s shoulder and an- nouncing he was placing him under citizen’s arrest before being pushed aside by security personnel.

Walton can be heard saying, “I’m placing you under citizen’s arrest for war crimes in Yemen.”

Another protester followed Assiri’s security detail to the entrance of a building, where he threw an egg that hit the general in the back.

The video showed Assiri turning around and giving the protester the finger.

Rights groups have harshly criticised Saudi Arabia over its military action in Yemen, where thousands of civilians have been killed in the two years since Riyadh intervened against Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

London-based rights group Amnesty International last month condemned Britain for transferring arms to Saudi Arabia, saying it was a “shameful contradiction” of British aid efforts in Yemen. – AFP