Bangladeshi Islamic Scholar Nasrullah Al-Badr Killed in Iran-Backed Houthi Attack on Riyadh Airport

RIYADH, Oct 12:  Bangladeshi Islamic scholar Nasrullah Al-Badr was killed in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh while traveling to perform Umrah, Saudi media reported Monday.

Al Arabiya and other media outlets released footage purportedly showing Al-Badr inside the airport shortly before Saturday’s attack. The footage showed an explosion striking the passenger terminal, sending flames and thick smoke into the area.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said Sunday that 12 people, including four Saudi citizens and eight foreign residents, were killed and 309 others injured in the attack. The death toll subsequently rose to 13 after the Indian Embassy in Riyadh announced that an Indian national had died from injuries sustained in the incident.

Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government, accused the Houthi group of carrying out the attack, describing it as a “full-fledged war crime.”

Al-Maliki said the coalition’s Joint Forces Command would respond “firmly and in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules.”

The attack comes amid escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since July, including strikes targeting civilian aviation facilities and energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The Houthis have controlled the capital, Sanaa, and several other provinces since September 2014.