A Saudi interior ministry spokesman says three French nationals have been killed in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The spokesman says gunmen shot at a group of nine French nationals as they rested at a roadside, killing three and injuring at least one other. The spokesman says the group was traveling to the holy city of Mecca, where some of them were to perform the minor pilgrimage known as Omra. Only Muslims are allowed in Mecca.
The spokesman said the French nationals were residents of the Saudi kingdom. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the killings. Saudi Arabia has been battling al-Qaida militants in the kingdom, and the terrorist group has targeted Westerners in the past.