“A person in a car stopped near the US consulate in Jeddah and got out with a firearm in his hand,” a police spokesman told SPA. The security agents then “took the initiative to deal with him and the exchange of fire resulted in his death,” police said.
Further police investigation should reveal, among other things, who the attacker was and what his intentions were. The US State Department said no Americans were killed in the firefight.
The incident happened while a major Islamic pilgrimage is taking place in Saudi Arabia, with more than 1.8 million believers coming to Mecca. Mecca is about 70 kilometers from Jeddah.