According to the interior minister of Saudi Arabia, a suicide bomber self-detonated early Monday morning outside the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The bomber was killed and two security guards were injured, the ministry's statement said.
The ministry said the attacker detonated his suicide vest when security guards approached him near the parking lot of a hospital. Some cars in the parking lot were damaged. No one immediately claimed responsibility for attack.
The attacker was apparently headed in a car toward a mosque near the U.S. consulate. The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed to the Associated Press that there were no casualties or injuries among the consular staff. The embassy said it remains in contact with Saudi authorities as they investigate the attack.
The interior ministry's report did not say if the bomber intended to target the U.S. diplomatic compound.
The attack comes on the day America celebrates its Independence and only a few days before the end of Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia's Al-Qaeda group claimed responsibility for the attack.
