- Americans living in Jeddah have been warned of an ‘imminent threat’
- Westerners are told to avoid ‘markets, restaurants and shopping malls’
- There are around 10,000 US citizens in Saudi and 5,000 military personnel
The State Department has issued an urgent warning to Americans about a possible attack in the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
The US embassy in Riyadh has ‘received reports of a potential, imminent threat against US citizens in areas of Jeddah frequented by Westerners, such as markets, restaurants and shopping malls, among others’.
The security message, published online and on Twitter, did not give further details but reiterated existing guidance for visitors to Saudi Arabia.
There are thought to be around 10,000 American expats working in Saudi Arabia, not including 5,000 US military personnel.
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This warning about the threat in Jeddah went up last night on the State Department’s website
The warning was tweeted by the State Department, which reminded Americans of the dangers of traveling in Saudi Arabia and to avoid crowds if possible
The warning tells American citizens: ‘Remember to vary your routes and times in all instances when traveling in the Kingdom.
‘All US citizens are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings, and take extra precautions when travelling throughout the country.’
Saudi Arabia is part of the US-led international coalition battling ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Since March 2015 the country has also led a coalition fighting Shi’ite rebels in Yemen.
Saudi authorities have stepped up the arrests of radical Islamists in the last year and in 2015 announced they had dismantled an ISIS-linked group, detaining hundreds of suspects, mainly Saudis.
Saudi Arabia’s top cleric, Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, has declared ISIS to be an ‘enemy of Islam’.
Jeddah, pictured, is on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and is home to several thousand American expats
US government personnel and their families are already restricted from traveling within 50 miles of the Yemeni border, and to the cities of Jizan and Najran, without permission because of the security situation there.
The warning says: ‘US government personnel are similarly prohibited from traveling to the city of Qatif in the Eastern Province and its surrounding suburbs, including Awamiyah, and to the town of Hofuf and its surrounding suburbs in the Al Hasa Governorate due to violent episodes that have occurred there in the past.’
