Heavy gunfire and explosions have been reported outside the home of the Saudi king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh, the country’s capital. Sources on Twitter have posted photos and videos of the situation and have said that the gunfire is part of a coup attempt. The king has reportedly been evacuated.
Some reports indicate that the shooting erupted when the palace guards targeted a small drone which came too close to the king’s residence.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia are yet to comment on reports.
Wall Street Journal reporter Margherita Stancati said, “No coup attempt in Riyadh. A toy drone/plane got too close to the king’s palace and was shot down.”
Saudi journalist Awad Alfayadh said, “A toy drone had flown around a restricted area in Riyadh close to a security check post and they had to shoot it down according to the law.”
This is a developing story.
______
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2018 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.