Several injured as France condemns ‘cowardly’ bomb attack in Jeddah

PARIS: Several people were injured on Wednesday in a bomb attack at a World War I commemoration ceremony attended by European diplomats at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the French Foreign Ministry said.

“The annual ceremony commemorating the end of the First World War in the non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, attended by several consulates, including that of France, was the target of an improvised explosive device attack this morning, which wounded to various people, ”the ministry said.

“France strongly condemns this cowardly and unjustifiable attack.”

Last month, a Saudi citizen stabbed a guard at the French consulate in Jeddah on the same day that a man with a knife killed three people at a church in Nice, southern France.

Wednesday’s blast came as French President Emmanuel Macron, the target of anger across much of the Muslim world for vowing to confront Islamist radicalism after a series of attacks, attended a World War I commemoration ceremony in Paris.

Several countries are celebrating the 102nd anniversary of the armistice signed by Germany and the allied countries to end the war.

Macron has vigorously defended the right to publish cartoons that some consider offensive, including cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad printed by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

French history teacher Samuel Paty showed the same cartoons to students in a class on freedom of expression, leading to his beheading on the outskirts of Paris on October 16 following an online campaign by parents angry at his choice of the lesson material.

Macron’s stance angered many Muslims, sparking protests in several countries in which portraits of the French president were burned and a campaign to boycott French products.

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, has criticized the cartoons, but has “strongly” condemned last month’s attack in Nice.

On Tuesday, Macron organized a summit of European leaders to chart a joint approach to combat Islamist radicalism after four people were killed in a shooting in the heart of Vienna last week.