Three French nationals, some of them Muslims, were shot dead in Saudi Arabia today in what appeared to be the first militant attack on foreigners in three years, the government said.
An Interior Ministry statement said a group of nine French nationals were fired on after a car stopped them on a road between Tabuk and Medina in the northwest of the vast desert country. It was not clear what happened to the attackers.
The statement said some of the group were heading to the holy city of Mecca for pilgrimage. Western diplomats said they were returning from a trip to the historical site of Madain Saleh, a favourite with the few tourists who visit the country. Two men died at the scene and another died later in hospital.
One other is still in hospital in Medina, a government spokesman told Saudi television, which earlier said four had died. "Three are dead and I am not sure about the state of the fourth one," the spokesmen said. A security source said the attackers had singled out the men in the group which also included women and children.
In Paris, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy confirmed the deaths. "Three of them died in this attack. Another was wounded and taken to hospital in Medina," a statement said, describing them as residents in the capital Riyadh.
He gave no more details. Militants swearing allegiance to al Qaeda launched a violent campaign to topple the US-allied Saudi monarchy in 2003, with suicide bomb attacks on foreigners and government installations including the oil industry.