Two Americans who came under fire in Saudi Arabia this weekend are employees of a US defence contractor, the firm said earlier yesterday, confirming the second attack in recent months against Vinnell Arabia.
“We can confirm that two Vinnell Arabia employees were involved in an incident on Friday, in which they were shot at by assailants in the al-Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia,” the company said in a statement issued through a public relations firm.
“Both employees were injured but are in stable condition at a local hospital,” it added.
Saudi police said earlier that one American had been wounded in a shooting.
“A car carrying two American nationals… came under fire from an unknown source,” on Friday afternoon in al-Ahsa, part of the eastern region which is the source of most of the kingdom’s oil wealth, police said.
Vinnell Arabia provides training for the Saudi National Guard.
The attack is the fourth against Westerners in the kingdom since October.
In October, one Vinnell employee was shot dead and another wounded at a petrol garage in the capital Riyadh.
The company’s Facebook page says it is “dedicated to providing the best in military training, logistics and support” to the Saudi National Guard, using expertise from former US military and government personnel.
