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Suicide Bomber Attacks Near US Consulate in Saudi Arabia

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General view of security personnel in front of a mosque as police stage a second controlled explosion, after a suicide bomber was killed and two other people wounded in a blast near the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 4, 2016.
General view of security personnel in front of a mosque as police stage a second controlled explosion, after a suicide bomber was killed and two other people wounded in a blast near the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 4, 2016.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said Monday a suicide bomber blew himself up near the U.S. consulate in the western city of Jeddah.

The ministry said security guards grew suspicious of the man, and when they approached him he set off the blast. The explosion killed the bomber, and two guards were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia reported no casualties or injuries among the consulate staff. It reiterated travel warnings for Saudi Arabia, recommending Americans limit non-essential travel in the country.

In 2004, al-Qaida-linked militants stormed the consulate with grenades, triggering a gun battle with Saudi security forces. Five non-American staff members died in that attack.

U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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