From the BBC

Gun battle at US Jeddah mission

At least seven people are reported to have died after gunmen stormed the US consulate in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The Saudi interior ministry said three gunmen were killed and two more arrested as security forces gained control of the compound.
Officials said four Saudi troops were killed in the fighting.
In a statement, the ministry said the gunmen threw explosives at the main gate of the consulate from a car and then entered the compound.
Flames and smoke could be seen rising from the area. All Americans who were at the consulate are reported to be safe, but the fate of a number of consulate staff who were reportedly taken hostage is unknown.

Eyewitnesses at the scene report ambulances ferrying injured people from the complex.

Hundreds of Saudi police and National Guard soldiers were deployed in the area, which was sealed off.

Correspondents say security around the consulate has been extremely tight since a series of bombings by Islamist militants in Saudi Arabia began in 2003, mainly targeting buildings that house foreigners. They add that the attack must have been very well planned, given the security measures.

Carol Kalin, a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Riyadh, said the embassy and the mission in Dhahran had been closed as a precaution following the Jeddah attack.

Previous operations targeting Western interests have been blamed on groups inspired by Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, which wants to drive all non-Muslims out of the kingdom.

The last major attack was in May, when gunmen attacked oil companies and a housing compound in the eastern city of Khobar. Twenty-two foreigners and seven Saudi security men were killed.