French officials say multiple people were wounded on Wednesday when an explosive device hit a ceremony commemorating the end of World War II at a cemetery in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.
The officials from the French Foreign Ministry said that several countries had representatives at the ceremony, held at a cemetery for non-Muslim dead. The identities of the victims were unclear.
Wednesday marks the 102nd anniversary of the armistice ending World War I and is commemorated in several European countries. The French officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The attack follows on the heels of a stabbing on October 29 that slightly wounded a guard at the French Consulate in the city of Jiddah. France has urged its citizens in the kingdom to be “on maximum alert” amid heightened tensions after an assailant decapitated a French middle school teacher who showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class.
The French president's support for caricatures as a cornerstone of free speech has riled some Muslims who view the depictions as incitement and a form of hate speech.
