Riyadh - Heavy gunfire has broken out near the royal palace in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh. Authorities have confirmed a shooting in the city amid wildly conflicting social media reports on the cause.
Videos posted on Twitter in which it appears bullets can be heard were captured allegedly near the royal residence, sparking a frenzy of confused claims. Early reports suggested gunfire broke out as part of an attempted coup.
But Saudi and foreign journalists countered that a drone had flown near a security checkpoint, causing it to be shot down.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia are yet to comment on reports.
Wall Street Journal reporter Margherita Stancati tweeted: “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 posted: “A toy drone flown around a restricted area in Riyadh close to security check point. They had to shoot it down according to the lows.”
Among the frenzied claims circulating on social media was that King Salman was evacuated to a military bunker in the city amid the unfolding panic. There have been no confirmed reports of injuries
The incident in Riyadh came two days after a reported shooting in which Saudi security officers were shot dead. On Thursday, four members of Saudi Arabia’s security forces were killed and four others wounded in clashes with gunmen at a checkpoint in the southwestern Asir province, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said.
One gunman was killed and two detained, the broadcaster said on Twitter, citing the Saudi interior ministry, without providing more details.
Asir province borders Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling the armed Houthi group, but it was not immediately clear if the incident was related to that three-year-old war.
