JEDDAH: Several people were injured in a bomb attack at a World War I commemoration ceremony attended by European diplomats at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah on Wednesday.
According to details, France’s foreign ministry has issued a statement saying that diplomats from Europe, along with the representatives of several countries, were present at the commemoration.
“The annual ceremony commemorating the end of World War I at the non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, attended by several consulates, including that of France, was the target of an IED improvised explosive device attack this morning, which injured several people,” the French ministry said.
— La France en Arabie (@FranceinKSA) November 11, 2020
After the incident, Saudi state media quoted a local official acknowledging the attack and saying that a Greek consulate employee and Saudi security man were lightly wounded in the incident. The Saudi official said an investigation is underway.
Saudi state television also broadcast from outside the cemetery and stressed that the security situation was now stable.
Today’s blast came as French President Emmanuel Macron, the target of ire in much of the Muslim world for vowing to confront what he calls Islamist radicalism following a spate of attacks, attended a WWI memorial ceremony in Paris.
Several countries are marking the 102nd anniversary of the armistice signed by Germany and Allied countries to end the war.
Macron has vigorously defended the right to publish cartoons viewed as offensive by some, including caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) printed by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
