Teacher 'kills six colleagues' in Saudi Arabia shooting attack
The man has been arrested and authorities have not announced a possible motive
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A teacher has reportedly shot dead at least six people at a local government building in Saudi Arabia.
The unidentified man stormed education ministry offices in the southern region of Jizan and opened fire with an automatic weapon, the Arab News website reported.
Local media said six office staff were killed and three injured but did not offer a motive for the shooting.
General Mansour Turki, a spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry, told Al Arabiya it was being treated as a criminal incident and the shooter had been arrested.
There was speculation that the secondary school teacher had issues with management or was suffering from mental illness.
Journalists tweeted photographs showing ambulances gathered outside of the building in the aftermath of the attack.
The office compound was cordoned off as investigations continued.
Mass shootings are rare in Saudi Arabia, which has faced a series of recent attacks by Isis militants.
It is is leading a coalition of countries conducting air strikes and ground operations in neighbouring Yemen in support of the country's internationally recognised government, resulting rebels targeting Jizan with missiles and cross-border fire.
Authorities said they shot down a ballistic missile targeting its capital of Jazan on Tuesday and that a police officer in the surrounding province was killed in a separate shooting incident on the same day.
In October, two people were killed and another two were wounded when a gunman opened fire inside a bank in the city of Jazan.
Additional reporting by agencies
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments