Saudi Arabia: Wanted individual detonates suicide vest during arrest procedure in Jeddah's Al-Samer neighborhood Aug. 10

Event

Saudi authorities confirmed Aug. 12, a local national wanted for terrorism charges detonated a suicide vest in Jeddah's Al-Samer neighborhood late Aug. 10. Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Shehri, detonated the suicide vest as security forces attempted to detain him. The blast wounded four people.

Context

It remains unclear as to what, if any, militant organization Al-Shehri belonged to. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State (IS) has conducted numerous attacks against westerners and Saudi security forces throughout the country. However, the operational capacity of both AQAP and IS to conduct sophisticated attacks within Saudi Arabia remains severely limited, primarily due to authorities implementing a successful domestic counterterrorism campaign. Despite the campaign's overall success, both AQAP and IS, in addition to radicalized individuals inspired by such militant organizations, continue to pose an ongoing threat to Saudi Arabia's security.