Blinken thanks Saudi FM for support during US Consulate shooting

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday thanked Saudi Arabia's foreign minister for that nation's support during a shooting near the US consulate building in Jeddah, leading to the deaths a security guard and the gunman, the State Department said.

Officials in the US and Saudi Arabia confirmed the incident on Wednesday as investigations continue into the attack.

“A person in a car stopped near the American consulate building in Jeddah Governorate and got out of it carrying a firearm in his hand,” a spokesperson for the Mecca Region police said.

“So security authorities took the initiative to deal with him as required and the exchange of fire resulted in his death.”