A Saudi-American who was recently fired from a United States defense contractor is reported to be behind the shooting of two American ex-colleagues in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, killing one and wounding the other, according to Reuters.
The gunman, Abdulaziz Fahad Abdulaziz Alrashid, was taken into police custody after being injured in a shootout with Saudi security forces, said a statement released in Washington on behalf of the Saudi Embassy, Reuters reported.
The Americans worked for a U.S. Defense Contractor called Vinenell Arabia, supporting Saudi National Guard military programs in Riyadh, according to CNN.
"We can confirm that two U.S. citizen employees from Vinnell Arabia, a U.S. defense contractor, were shot at a local gas station/store approximately 0.5 miles from the Vinnell Arabia base in Riyadh, which is located approximately 20 miles from the U.S. Embassy," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, according to Reuters.
Alrashid, 24, was recently dismissed from his job for drug-related issues, the statement said, citing the Saudi Interior Ministry for that information, according to Reuters.
The victims were employees of Vinnell Arabia, a U.S. defense contractor supporting Saudi National Guard military programs in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and were shot about a half-mile from its facility in the city, said Psaki, Reuters reported.
According to Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour Turki, "security authorities have no proven prior links between him and extremist organizations but they are following his health condition in order to take his statement," according to Reuters.
The killing appeared to be the first Westerner killing in years in Saudi Arabia, the statement added.
Saudi Arabia and four other Arab countries are taking part in U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State group and al Qaeda fighters in Iraq and Syria with militants vowing revenge, according to Reuters.
