Several wounded after gunmen attack Saudi military base in Taif
Two men attacked National Guard facility after killing a policeman and seizing his car, news report says.
Several Saudi military officers were wounded in an attack on a military base in the western city of Taif after gunmen killed a policeman and seized his weapons before attacking the facility.
Two attackers exchanged gunfire with security forces at a National Guard facility in Taif, some 70km east of Mecca, after killing a police officer and stealing his weapons and car before entering the site, the Saudi newspaper Sabq reported on Thursday.
“He [Deputy Sergeant Abdullah Mashary Al Quraishi] was doing his job and managing road traffic on the Army road in the Taif district when he was stabbed by one of the assailants and was severely injured,” a source cited by Sabq said.
“He died as a result of his wounds.”
Sabq reported there several soldiers were wounded and one of the attackers sustained injuries and was arrested. The other escaped.
Videos uploaded on social media showed scenes of panic at the scene while the sound of rapid gunfire could also be heard in the background.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and al-Qaeda have called on their followers in the country to attack military targets in the past.
إطلاق نار في شارع الستين في #الطائف ..
اللهم عليك بمن يروع قلوب الآمنين واجعل بلادهم آمنة مستأمنة على أرواح الأبرياء منهم والخائفين . #الطايف_الآن #اطلاق_نار_في_الطائف pic.twitter.com/XoJX8wADiT— ﮼ابتسام ﮼آل ﮼سعد (@Ebtesam777) May 30, 2018
Translation: O Allah, take revenge on whomever strikes fear in the hearts of those living in peace and keep our lands safe and able to protect the souls of the innocent and terrified.