The attack targeted King Khalid Airport outside the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday afternoon. Air traffic was halted after the incident, but Saudi authorities did not release a death toll until late in the evening.
According to the country's aviation authority, "some" of the at least 309 injured people are being treated for serious injuries. The airport's material damage is being assessed, and it is not yet fully clear from an official perspective how the attack took place. A source told the AP that it was a rocket attack that damaged two terminals.
No Swedes
A source in the Saudi aviation sector told AFP that the airport would remain closed until Sunday evening.
The Reuters news agency reports that Saudi defense systems issued no warning to the public in advance.
Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently has no information about any injured or deceased Swedes, the ministry said in a comment to TT.
“Everyone ran”
A traveler told AFP that he witnessed an attack in one of the airport's domestic terminals.
"I was at gate 403 and I saw 401 get hit. I saw injured people in front of my eyes. Everyone was running," the witness told AFP.
Saudi Arabia blamed the Iran-backed Houthi movement for the attack. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen, called the attack a “war crime” and promised a “forceful” response. The coalition also claims that the Houthi movement fired a rocket at a military airport in the capital region, but that the rocket was reportedly shot down by air defenses.
Several attacks per week
King Khalid Airport has been attacked repeatedly this week. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the previous attacks but have not yet commented on Saturday's events.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on Sunday that he was "deeply shocked" by the attack, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned of a "dangerous escalation" in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump called Saturday's events "unacceptable" and said he would speak with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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