OIC Strongly Condemns Attack on Royal Palace in Jeddah

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) – The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned the terror attack near the royal Al Salam Palace in Jeddah,which killed two security guards and injured several others, Sunday. OIC Secretary General, Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen as quoted in a statement made available in their official website, expressed sincere condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished for speedy recovery for the wounded. "He reaffirmed the OIC's solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in countering terrorism that seeks to destabilise the Kingdom and undermine its security, and voiced support for all actions taken by the Kingdom to face the plans of terrorist groups and organisations, defend the country's security and preserve the safety of its citizens," the statement said. According to a news report by Reuters, in the 3.15 pm local time incident, the security guards had returned fire after a man suddenly started shooting at them right after he got out from his car at the western gate of the royal palace. The news report quoting a statement from the interior ministry explained that the attacker was known as Mansour al-Amri, a 28-year-old Saudi national who carried Kalashnikov rifles and petrol bombs was killed during the incident. Al-Othaimeen also commended the vigilance of Saudi security guards who faced and thwarted the attack, stating that those who planned and executed the attack were pursuing a desperate plan to undermine the security of the Kingdom. The secretary general also reiterated the OIC's principled position which denounces all terrorist acts. -- BERNAMA