APNEWS report on the 11th, according to French government officials, a cemetery in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah was attacked by an explosive device on Wednesday at an international ceremony commemorating the end of the First World War. Three people were injured.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that some foreign representatives attended a ceremony held in a cemetery in Jeddah, and the identity of the injured is not yet known.
The report pointed out that this Wednesday is the 102nd anniversary of the armistice of the First World War, and several European countries are holding commemorative activities. French officials, who asked not to be named, also condemned the attack.
The embassies of France, Britain, Greece, Italy and the United States said in a joint statement: “This attack on innocent people is shameful and there is no reason at all.” Their officials attended the meeting.
Saudi official media quoted local officials as saying that a Saudi security official was also slightly injured and the investigation is ongoing.
According to reports, on October 29, before the bombing, a guard of the French consulate in Jeddah was stabbed and slightly injured. The knife holder is a Saudi man who has been arrested. His motivation is unclear.
Previously, a French secondary school teacher who had shown a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad in the classroom was beheaded by an attacker, leading to escalation of tensions. Then there were a series of attacks in France, and France urged Saudi Arabia and other Muslims to become a majority. French citizens of the country are “highly vigilant”.
French President Macron supported such cartoons on the grounds of freedom of speech, which angered some Muslims, who regarded such cartoons as a form of incitement and hate speech.
