It said that two of its nationals, one man and one woman, were wounded in Monday’s blasts. Police earlier said that the 20-year-old man was being guarded but was not under detention.
US authorities told the embassy late Monday “that no Saudi national was a suspect in the Boston Marathon attack and that the Saudi national in question was a witness, not a suspect,” mission spokesperson Nail Al-Jubeir said.
The attacks came as Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal visited Washington, where he met Tuesday Secretary of State John Kerry.
Prince Saud offered solidarity with the great people of Boston and said Saudi Arabia condemned every “terrorist act.”
“We have felt the evil of the act of terror. We support the families and we give our condolences to the families of Boston,” he told reporters after the talks.
Prince Saud said that Boston was “considered one of the homes” for Saudis due to the large number who studied in the city’s numerous universities. He said that the injured Saudi woman was married to a student. “We hope she is well and we hope well to all those who have been injured,” he said.
Meanwhile, the father of the Saudi student who was hospitalized with burnt hands criticized the media for rushing to brand his son a suspect in the attacks.
“My son Abdul Rahman is faring well and he is receiving excellent care at the hospital where he is hospitalized,” Ali Eisa Al Harbi said.
“Unfortunately, some print, online and broadcast media rushed into claiming that he was a suspect in the explosions. The reports caused deep fear and panic among his family and I wish the media would exercise more caution when reporting news, especially about those who are not in their homelands,” he was quoted as saying Wednesday.
The father added that US officials have already declared that his son was not involved in the explosion and that he was just a victim.
“I do value this testimony by the US authorities. My son is fully committed to respecting and complying with all the laws in the US and he cannot nurture any negative attitudes anywhere,” he said.
