Saudi security shoots down toy drone near royal palace: official media

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian security forces said they had shot down a recreational drone in the capital Riyadh on Saturday after online videos showed gunfire in the neighbourhood where royal palaces are located, sparking fears of a political unrest.

A Riyadh police spokesman — quoted by the official Saudi News Agency (SPA) — said one of the security screening points noticed an unauthorised small recreational drone flying around 7:50 PM local time (1650 GMT), leading the security men to deal with it according to their orders and instructions.

The spokesman said the drone was identified by forces at a checkpoint in the Khozama district, who subsequently "dealt with it according to their orders", state news said without specifying if there were any injuries or damage.

King Salman was not at his palace in Riyadh at the time, a senior Saudi official told Reuters. “The king was at his farm in Diriya,” he said, naming another area of the capital.

Footage circulating earlier on social media showed loud shooting that lasted for at least 30 seconds, leading to speculation online about a possible coup attempt and questions about the whereabouts of the king and crown prince.

One video showed at least two police cars parked in the middle of the street. Reuters was unable to independently verify the videos’ authenticity.

The senior Saudi official further added that a system would be put in place to regulate the use of recreational drones.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has witnessed a series of radical political changes over the past year as the king’s son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ousted his cousin as crown prince and then jailed senior royals in an anti-corruption sweep.

Prince Salman returned from a month-long foreign tour earlier this month.

Saudi Arabia is also embroiled in a long-running conflict in its southern neighbour Yemen.

Security around the royal palaces also appears to have tightened in the recent months as the powerful crown prince oversees landmark social and economic reforms to prepare for a post-oil era, despite the risk of riling religious hardliners.

Last October, a gunman shot dead two Saudi guards and wounded three others at the gate of the royal palace in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, according to the interior ministry.

Royal guards killed the gunman, identified by the ministry as a 28-year-old Saudi national armed with a Kalashnikov and three grenades.