News Digest

Terrorism ruled out in shooting of 2 Americans in Saudi capital

The gunman who shot and killed an American and wounded another in Riyadh was a disgruntled former employee of defense contractor Vinnell Arabia and a U.S.-Saudi citizen, a U.S. diplomat said. The victims of Tuesday’s shooting at a gas station in the Saudi capital also worked at Vinnell Arabia, said the diplomat, ruling out terrorism as a possible motive for the attack. Earlier, the State Department had confirmed that there had been a shooting at a petrol station near from the company’s Riyadh base, adding that the U.S. embassy was reviewing overall security.

Local police responded and the suspect is currently in police custody…we are in close contact with the Saudi government as we continue to gather details.

Jen Psaki, spokeswoman, U.S. State Department

"One employee was killed, and the other is lightly injured," said spokeswoman Jen Psaki in a statement. "We are in the process of evaluating our security posture and will take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of all U.S. mission personnel." Psaki said Vinnell Arabia is a U.S. contractor "supporting Saudi National Guard military programs in Riyadh." The attack happened about half-a-mile from the company’s base in Riyadh, some 32 kilometers from the US embassy. Tuesday’s shooting was the first deadly attack on Westerners in Saudi Arabia since several were killed in a wave of Al-Qaeda violence between 2003 and 2006.