Drunken Saudi Motorist Hits U.S. Consulate Gate
Tue Oct 15, 1:10 PM ET

RIYADH (Reuters) - A drunken Saudi motorist accidentally hit a gate at the U.S. consulate in Jeddah and has been taken into custody, the Saudi Press Agency said Tuesday.

 

It quoted the head of traffic police in the Red Sea port city as saying Monday's collision was accidental and that the driver had been under the influence of alcohol.

It gave no further details. U.S. diplomats in Saudi Arabia were not immediately available for comment.

Alcohol is banned in the conservative Muslim kingdom but it is often smuggled in. If caught, drunks are flogged, in accordance with the kingdom's strict Islamic laws.

Westerners living in the kingdom and other Gulf Arab states have been concerned about rising anti-U.S. sentiment in the region over Washington's policies in the Middle East.

These concerns were sharpened after an attack on U.S. troops in Kuwait a week ago killed a Marine. A string of bombings in Saudi Arabia in the last two years has killed at least three Westerners and injured several more.

Saudi authorities blame the bombings on score-settling between rival gangs of alcohol smugglers, but some analysts believe they are motivated by hostility to the West.

Flog him.

Your Bast*rd! LOL!