One person has been injured in a “knife attack’ on the France Embassy in Jeddah, according to a statement from the embassy.
“The Consulate General of France in Jeddah was this morning the object of a knife attack, which targeted a security guard,” the embassy tweeted in a statement on Thursday.
The attacker was immediately apprehended by Saudi law enforcement.
The injured security guard has been transferred to hospital and he is not reported to be in further danger.
“The French embassy strongly condemns this attack on diplomatic hold that nothing can justify”, continued the statement.
Neither the embassy nor the Saudi authorities gave details of a possible motive for the incident.
The French ambassador has assured the victim of her full support and has expressed confidence that Saudi authorities will shed light on the incident and ensure the safety of French citizens in the country.
“We call our compatriots in Saudi Arabia to exercise maximum vigilance”.
Police in Mecca province, where Jeddah is located, said the assailant was Saudi but did not specify the nationality of the guard.
The attack comes amid anger in the Middle East against French President Emmanuel Macron, who has pledged that France will not renounce cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, prompting calls to boycott French products in Arab countries.
In Nice, three people were killed and several more wounded in a suspected terror attack on Thursday.
Muslims around the world celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad on Thursday.
