Riyadh bookstore blast injures Briton

A Briton and an Egyptian were slightly injured in an explosion in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, yesterday, a Saudi police chief said.

A Briton and an Egyptian were slightly injured in an explosion in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, yesterday, a Saudi police chief said.

Saudi witnesses and hospital sources said earlier that a Dutchman was injured. However, a statement by Riyadh's police commander said: "A small blast by an explosive device occurred at 10.45pm (19.45GMT) at a garbage bin in front of a store at al-Olayya road in which two people, one Egyptian and a Briton, were slightly injured."

It said the men were taken to a hospital and later released. The blast did not cause any damage and authorities were investigating, it added.

An official at the private Hammadi hospital confirmed later that two people were being treated at the hospital, but said one of them was Sudanese. He said the second was a 47-year-old Scotsman.

The witnesses said the blast shattered glass at al-Jareer book shop, located on a main thoroughfare. They said Saudi security forces briefly sealed off the area of the blast, diverting traffic to side streets. The cause of the explosion was not known.

One Briton was killed and several other people were injured in two bombings in Riyadh and another explosion in eastern Saudi Arabia late last year. It was not clear if yesterday's explosion and the previous blasts were connected.

Some Saudi newspapers have linked the Riyadh bombings to illegal activities, including trading in alcohol, which is banned in the kingdom.