3 killed, 36 injured in attacks on Riyadh and Abha airports

RIYADH — Three people, including two women, were killed and 36 others injured in two attacks targeting Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said in a statement on Wednesday. The airports came under separate attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, prompting emergency response teams and the relevant authorities to respond immediately in accordance with established protocols and emergency response plans, GACA said. Two expatriates—a Moroccan woman and an Algerian woman—were killed and 28 people, including Saudi citizens and foreign residents, sustained serious and minor injuries in the attack on Abha airport on Tuesday. The injured residents include a Bangladeshi and a Filipino. At King Khalid International Airport, a Sudanese resident was killed and eight others were injured in the attack on Wednesday. Those injured include five Saudi citizens, two Egyptian residents and one Pakistani resident, with their injuries ranging from minor to serious. All those injured in the two attacks were immediately transferred to hospitals for medical treatment, GACA said. The attacks also caused some property damage. “GACA is working, in coordination with the relevant authorities, to assess the damage, verify the safety of the facilities, and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and maintain the security and safety of operations within the Kingdom's civil aviation system,” the authority said in the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.