CCTV footage captured from when a deadly strike hit a Saudi airport
The projectile hit the complex housing terminals 3 and 4, which are used for domestic flights. Authorities did not immediately provide further details about Sunday’s incident. The airport remained closed, while schools in Riyadh shifted to online classes. Airports in Mecca and Medina were exempted from the warning.
The attack was followed by another incident on Sunday, when an unidentified projectile struck a passenger terminal at Riyadh airport, according to the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. On Sunday, Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree warned airlines and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, saying they were vulnerable to attacks.
The Indian national who died was identified as Mohammed Yusuf, a 46-year-old IT professional from Hyderabad. His wife and two children, who were accompanying him, were also injured and were reported to be in critical condition.
Yusuf, who was from Mehdipatnam, was waiting near a check-in kiosk with his family to travel to Medina for Umrah when the strike hit the airport, according to sources. In a statement issued after his death, the Indian embassy said it would support the family and facilitate the early repatriation of his mortal remains. Debris from the impact reportedly fell on him, leaving him critically injured. He later died in hospital. External affairs minister S Jaishankar also condoled the death, saying the embassy would extend all possible assistance to the bereaved family.