Two grenades thrown at Saudi consulate in Karachi

11 May, 2011 13:39

Two grenades thrown at Saudi consulate in Karachi

Drive-by attackers lobbed two grenades at the Saudi consulate in Karachi on Wednesday, in the first possible violent reaction to the US killing of Osama bin Laden.

Officials reported no damage and no casualties after two men on a motorcycle threw the explosives at the consulate.

â€œThis was an attack on the Saudi consulate. Two motorcycle riders threw two grenades and fled,â€ provincial government official Sharfuddin Memon told AFP.

â€œThere were no casualties. We are seeing this incident in the present context. It could be a reaction of the Osama incident,â€ he added.

Saudi Arabia expelled bin Laden in 1991 and later revoked his nationality. The government in Riyadh last week welcomed his killing as a boost to international anti-terror efforts.

An AFP photographer said ambulances, police and paramilitary Rangers swarmed outside the Saudi consulate after the attack, where small shrapnel marks could be seen on the outer wall of the building.

Mohammed Safdar, a police official at the scene, said security guards at the diplomatic mission had opened fire on the attackers but they escaped.

â€œTwo men riding on a motorbike hurled two grenades towards the consulate. The security men at the gate opened fire on them, but they managed to flee,â€ he told AFP.

â€œThe security guards informed us and we reached the spot immediately. The bomb disposal squad are here. Other police and Rangers have surrounded the area,â€ he added.

Pakistan is holding in protective custody three of bin Ladenâ€™s widows, who come from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and 13 of their children.