Gunman kills 2 guards at Saudi Royal Palace

Jeddah : A gunman armed with a Kalashnikov rifle and three petrol bombs killed two Royal Guards and wounded three others in an attack at a security guards checkpoint at the western gate of Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah early on Saturday.

The attacker, Mansour bin Hassan Al Ameri, 28, a Saudi, was killed by security forces on the spot, said Interior Ministry spokesperson Mansour Al-Turki.

The gunman left his vehicle and started shooting at the guards, Al-Turki said. Investigations are continuing.

“An outpost of the royal guard came under fire by a person who got out of a car,” the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

“He was immediately dealt with and his cowardly act also resulted in the martyrdom” of two royal guards, it added.  

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry released video showing the aftermath of the attack on the external guard post of the Al Salam Palace.

Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has identified the two soldiers killed on Saturday as Agent Sergeant Hammad bin Shallah al-Mutairi and First Soldier Abdullah bin Faisal al-Subaie.

Corporal Walid bin Ali Shami and First soldiers Ahmad Saleh Al-Qarni and Abdullah Hindi Al-Subaie were injured in the attack and are receiving necessary treatment. 

According to the Interior Ministry’s security spokesman, investigations into the incident identified the shooter as Mansour bin Hassan bin Ali al-Fahid al-Amiri, a 28-year-old Saudi national.

A Kalashnikov gun and thee Molotov bombs were found on his person after the attack.

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia had earlier cautioned its citizens over reports of the attack.

“Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity, American citizens are advised to exercise caution when travelling through the area,” the embassy said in a brief statement.

The warning comes after the Saudi police raided hideouts of a “terror” cell linked to the Islamic State group this week, killing two people and arresting five others, according to the national security agency.

The State Security Agency said police raided three hideouts in the capital Riyadh and exchanged gunfire at one of them, the SPA news agency reported on Thursday.

Since late 2014, ISIS has claimed a series of bombings and shootings against Shiites and security forces in the kingdom.