An explosion in a metal bin outside a book shop in the centre of the Saudi capital left one Briton and one Egyptian lightly wounded, Saudi authorities were quoted as saying by reports.
"A charge left in a bin went off Thursday about 22:45 (1945 GMT) lightly injuring a Briton and an Egyptian," a senior officer told the official SPA news agency, cited by AFP.
He said there was no real damage caused by the blast on Olaya Main Street, a major shopping avenue running through the city.
"Both have been treated in a Riyadh hospital and gone home," an official, who asked not be named, had told AFP earlier. He could not identify the two victims, but said one was Irish.
AFP reported late Thursday night that one man was killed and another injured in the explosion. "One man died of his wounds as he arrived at Al-Hamadi hospital and another one is wounded," unnamed told AFP. Emergency workers told the agency one was a Westerner and the other an Arab.
Al Jazeera said that one of the two was Dutch, but later broadcasted the Saudi statement, denying fatalities in the accident.
The explosion occurred at 10:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) on Olaya Main Street, a major shopping avenue running through the city, said AFP, adding that security forces sealed off the area.
No arrests were reported.
The building which houses the bookshop also includes the newspaper Al-Hayat. Damage to the facade was minor, the AFP correspondent said.
A series of blasts in Saudi Arabia late last year which left one Briton dead and four other people wounded have been linked to a multi-million dollar alcohol smuggling business – Albawaba.com
