US Citizen Shot Dead, Another Injured in Saudi Arabia

A U.S. National was shot dead and another injured after a gunman opened fire on their car in Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.

The two U.S. citizens were employees of Vinnell Arabia, a U.S. company providing support to the Saudi National Guard.

The Saudi Embassy identified the attacker as Abdulaziz Fahad Abdulaziz Alrashid, a 24-year-old Saudi-American dual citizen, who worked at the same company as the victims. .

The Saudi police later cornered and arrested Alrashid, who shot the U.S. nationals at a gas station about half-a-mile from the Vinnell Arabia base in Riyadh.

A statement released by the Saudi embassy said that Alrashid was injured in the shootout with Saudi Security forces while they were attempting to arrest him.

The statement also said that Alrashid was recently dismissed from his job for drug-related issues.

A person who had information regarding the shooting said that the shooter believed that the victim had informed the authorities of his alleged drug use, reports the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, State Department spokesman Jen Psaki said that the government was assessing the security situation and was in contact with the Saudi government over the incident.

"We are in close contact with the Saudi government as we continue to gather details about the shooting and motive,"  Psaki  said. "We are in the process of evaluating our security posture and will take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of all U.S. Mission personnel," she added..

Vinnell Arabia functions under a longstanding contract from the US army to provide training and logistics services to the Saudi National Guard.

Nine Vinnell Arabia employees, seven of them American, were among 39 people killed in May 2003 when terrorists carried out a bomb attack on three residential compounds in Riyadh, reports The Guardian.