Two US defence contractors wounded in Saudi shooting

RIYADH, Feb 1 (AFP): A US defence contractor said Sunday that two of its American employees came under fire in the latest attack against Westerners in Saudi Arabia.
It was the second time in recent months that staff of the contractor Vinnell Arabia have been targeted.
"We can confirm that two Vinnell Arabia employees were involved in an incident on Friday, in which they were shot at by assailants in the al-Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia," the company said in a statement issued through a public relations firm.
"Both employees were injured but are in stable condition at a local hospital," it added.
Saudi police said earlier that one American had been wounded in a shooting.
"A car carrying two American nationals... came under fire from an unknown source," on Friday afternoon in al-Ahsa, part of the eastern region which is the source of most of the kingdom's oil wealth, police said.
Vinnell Arabia provides training for the Saudi National Guard, a parallel army.
A source close to the incident told AFP that several rounds were fired at the Vinnell vehicle from a white car.
The Vinnell driver was hit several times, the source said, adding he was not aware of injuries to the second employee who was able to drive his wounded colleague to hospital.