Bomb blast in Jeddah at Remembrance Day event

Several people were injured in a bomb attack on a First World War commemoration ceremony at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, officials said yesterday.

The Remembrance Day ceremony, organised by the French embassy, was attended by diplomatic delegations from the EU and other countries.

Officials gave varying numbers of injuries from the attack. A Greek official said four people were hurt, including a Greek citizen, but Saudi Arabia said only two people were hurt, including the Greek citizen and a Saudi security officer.

French official Nadia Chaaya told the TV channel BFM that she was at the cemetery when she heard an explosion as the consul general was near the end of his speech.

“At that moment we didn’t really understand, but we felt that we were the target because directly we saw the smoke and we were, of course, in panic mode,” she said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and Saudi officials have yet to comment.

The French consulate urged residents and visitors in Saudi Arabia to exercise maximum vigilance following the attack, Reuters reported.

Yesterday’s incident came less than a fortnight after a Saudi man was arrested in the same city for attacking a guard at the French consulate.

The victim suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital.

Anger is still simmering around the world after French President Emmanuel Macron defended cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed that were considered to be offensive to Islam.

Mr Macron’s stance angered many Muslims, prompting protests in several countries at which portraits of the French president were burnt.