Riyadh Airport Strike Kills at Least 12, Disrupts Flights

A strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300, according to reports published October 12, as airport operations were suspended and airlines cancelled or halted flights. Saudi authorities attributed the attack to Yemen’s Houthi group, while the group separately claimed it had targeted airports in Riyadh and Dammam. Responsibility has not been independently established in the available accounts. The reported death toll differs. One account said at least 12 people were killed; Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported 13 deaths and 309 injuries from Saturday’s strike, with some injured people in critical condition. The figures concern the same attack, but the reports provide no further detail explaining the difference. The aviation authority said four Saudi nationals and eight foreign nationals were among the dead. The foreign victims included citizens of Bangladesh, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. Bangladesh confirmed two of its nationals were killed.