On Tuesday, French President Jacques Chirac condemned the killing of three French expatriates in Saudi Arabia on Monday. He described the event as “hateful.”
Chirac stressed the importance of investigating the event and trying the perpetrators.
According to media reports, three French people were killed and one was wounded in a drive-by shooting in the northwest part of Saudi Arabia on Monday. The Saudi Interior Ministry said the perpetrators were unidentified gunmen who escaped the scene. It is still unclear whether the shootings were a robbery or a premeditated terror attack.
According to Kuwait News Agency, on Tuesday, France confirmed the death of a fourth French national, a youth, in the Saudi shooting. Some of the nine members of the French group were Muslims who were planning to head to Mecca for a pilgrimage, ministry spokesman Man’sour A-Turki said.
The Saudi kingdom has been tackling terrorism against local and foreigners since May 2003, when suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist hit three compounds, killing 35 people, many of them Westerners.
