Riyadh, 11 October (H.S.):

At least 12 people, including a US citizen, were killed and 309 others injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, on Saturday. According to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, the fatalities included four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis and one person each from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, along with the American victim. Authorities said in a social media post that the injured were being treated at local hospitals, with several reported to be in critical condition. The Iran-backed Houthi militant group has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to reports by Gulf News and CBS News, airport operations were suspended following the attack, and the facility sustained damage. Authorities are assessing the extent of the destruction. US President Donald Trump said he would make a decision on the matter soon.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “The United States strongly condemns Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia.” He added that the attack on Riyadh airport had claimed the lives of several innocent people, including an American citizen. A US State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration had been in contact with Saudi authorities following the incident.

The Houthi militant group has not yet claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack. However, earlier in the week, the group had claimed to have targeted the same airport. That attack reportedly killed three Saudis, including a pilot.

According to reports, a missile struck a complex housing Terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights, on Saturday. Hans Grundberg, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, described the attack as a serious threat to regional security.

Following the attack, flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that flights had been diverted to other destinations. Countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Canada issued advisories urging their citizens to stay away from the airport.

The attack on Riyadh airport came as preparations were underway for a major international energy conference scheduled to take place on Sunday.

According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, at least 291 flights at Riyadh airport had been cancelled over the preceding 24 hours. Even before the latest attack, several airlines, including Air India, flydubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines, had suspended flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for varying periods.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar