An American was killed and another injured, after a gunman opened fire Tuesday at a gas station in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh.
Both worked for a U.S. defense contractor, Vinnell Arabia, that is working in the nation to support Saudi National Guard military programs., the Army Times reported.
It’s not known if the attacks were related to terrorism.
Saudi Press Agency officials cited a police officer as saying that authorities tracked the shooter, shot and wounded him, then arrested him, the Army Times said. The attack took place while the Americans — both unnamed — were sitting inside a vehicle at the gas station, about a half mile from their places of employment and a similar distance from the Saudi National Guard headquarters.
American and Saudi officials were investigating and evaluating safety plans of U.S. contractors and citizens in the kingdom, a State Department spokesman said, the Army Times reported.
It was just a few weeks ago that Saudi police announced that they had arrested 88 suspected al Qaeda-tied radicals who were plotting various attacks in the kingdom. The shooting also comes at a time when Islamic State terrorists have called on sympathizers and supporters to carry out jihad attacks on Americans and others from the West.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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