Suicide bomber hits hotel near Saudi embassy in Beirut

A suicide bomber wounded three security officers in a hotel close to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Beirut yesterday, Lebanon’s interior minister said, the third blast in the country in less than a week.

Security services said the bomber was a Saudi national and that a second suspected Saudi militant, who was wounded in the blast, was arrested at the scene. The embassy was not damaged.

“The suicide bomber wanted to blow himself up at another place and security measures were taken to prevent the suicide bomber from reaching his target,” interior minister Nihad al-Mashnouq told Lebanese television. It was not clear whether the bomber was linked to any particular group.

The bomber blew himself up after security officers raided the Duroy Hotel, some 20m from the embassy in the seaside district of Raouche, security sources said.

Television footage showed scores of army officers packing a main street filled with emergency vehicles. Pictures posted online showed a plume of smoke billowing from the hotel. “The explosion happened after the security forces raided the building – like two minutes after – and the fire erupted,” said Ahmad, a resident, at the scene.

Beirut’s streets have been busy in the evenings with people watching the World Cup at cafes in the warm summer weather. Ethnically mixed Lebanon has suffered a wave of sectarian violence linked to the war in Syria.– (Reuters)