Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Interior ministry has claimed that the suicide bomber who blew himself up near the American Consulate in Jeddah early Monday was a Pakistani citizen, reports said today.
A report in Pakistani daily 'Dawn' quoted an official of the Interior Ministry of Saudi Arabia as saying that the suicide bombing near the US Consulate in Jeddah was carried out by a Pakistani resident.
The suspect, identified by the Interior ministry as Abdullah Qalzar Khan, was a 35-year-old who worked as an immigrant driver and had been residing in the Red Sea city of Jeddah along with his wife and her parents for the past 12 years.
Meanwhile, Manzoorul Haq, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, refused to comment on the report.
“I can’t comment since it is merely news report…it is preliminary report and we will have to wait before making any comments,” he told Geo News.
The suicide bomber attack near the US Consulate followed two more bombings in Medina and Qatif killing four security officials and leaving five others injured at the security headquarters of Masjid Al-Nabawi.
There are no claims of responsibility for the three attacks, one of which was at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.
“Security forces suspected a man who was heading towards Al-Masjid al-Nabawi as he passed through a visitors’ parking lot,” Saudi Arabia Interior ministry said in a statement.
“As they tried to stop him, he blew himself up with an explosive belt causing his death, and the death of four security personnel,” the statement further added.
