Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warns extremists of 'iron fist'

Mohammed bin Salman says kingdom has largely eradicated extremism, but calls for respect for religious figures

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been pushing for greater diversification of Saudi Arabia’s oil-reliant economy though the Vision 2030 strategy. Saudi Royal Palace / AFP

Saudi Arabia will strike with an "iron fist" against terrorism, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Thursday after a bombing against a gathering of western diplomats was claimed by ISIS.

The bomb blast targeted a World War I commemoration at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah on Wednesday, just two weeks after a guard at the French consulate in the Red Sea city was wounded by a knife-wielding Saudi citizen.

The attacks, which underscore Muslim anger over French satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, come as Saudi Arabia prepares for the G20 leaders' summit later this month – the first to be hosted by an Arab nation.

"We warn anyone who might think of committing a terrorist act and taking advantage of hate speech that stir peoples’ emotions that we will impose the most severe, painful and deterring punishment," Prince Mohammed said in address to the Shura Council.

"On the other hand, we hope that the world desists from contempt of religions, and attacking religious and national figures under the slogan of freedom of speech, as such practice manages to create a fertile environment for extremism and terrorism to grow."

The bombing at the Armistice Day commemoration in Jeddah wounded at least two people, including a Greek policeman and a Saudi official. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was to protest against the cartoons of the Prophet printed by the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

A statement by extremist group's propaganda arm, Amaq, said the attack "primarily targeted the French consul".

The group offered no evidence of its involvement.

In a separate incident on Thursday, Dutch police arrested a man after shots were fired at the Saudi embassy in The Hague, causing damage but no injuries. It was not clear whether the incident was linked to the attacks in the kingdom.

The Saudi crown prince said a crackdown he launched in 2017 had largely eradicated extremism within the kingdom.

"Extremism is no longer acceptable in Saudi Arabia today, it is no longer on the surface, instead, it is invisible, in hiding and rejected by the Saudi people," he said.

"Our work today is pre-emptive, we are going to continue to strike with an iron fist whomever dares to tamper with our security and stability."