Twitter has recently been abuzz of reports of gunfire outside the Saudi royal palace in Riyadh, and the Jerusalem Post seems to be the first major news outlet to have a story up about it:
Gunfire and explosions have been reported outside the home of the Saudi king in Riyadh, the country’s capital. Sources on Twitter have posted photos and videos of the situation and have said that the gunfire is part of a coup attempt. The king has reportedly been evacuated.
The Jerusalem Post has not been able to independently verify these claims.
A sampling of tweets:
الرياض تشتعل ونهاية سلمان وابنه المتهور اقتربت #الرياض_الان #هروب_الملك_سلمان #اصابة_الداشر pic.twitter.com/kioft5BxWg
— محمد السويدي (@mohdalsuwaidi7) April 21, 2018
New clip for shooting in #SaudiArabia's #Riyadh pic.twitter.com/WEhg9Sxj8z
— Warfare Analysis (SHR) (@NatsecPack) April 21, 2018
Suud Kraliyet Sarayı çevresinde şiddetli patlamalar ve çatışmalar sürüyor.#SaudiArabia #SuudiArabistanpic.twitter.com/3XxoljPFEr
— İNSANLIK PORTALI ⚡ (@InsanlP) April 21, 2018
#BreakingNews: Reports of heavy gunfire ongoing near King’s Palace in #Riyadh, #SaudiArabia. The king has reportedly been evacuated to a bunker at a military base in the city. Casualties unclear. pic.twitter.com/D91bTmGAqt
— Pakistan Defence Command (@PDCMDOfficial) April 21, 2018
Something certainly seems to be going on…
Update: Some reports say it was just a toy plane that got too close to the palace and was shot down.
Not sure if I believe that, but Twitter reports seem to have died down, and I’m not seeing any additional videos or new reports of gunfire, so whatever it was, it does appear to have died down for now.
Update 2: Official Saudi sources are confirming the toy drone story.
Tags: Foreign Policy, Middle East, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia