Pakistani Gunmen Kill Saudi Embassy Worker

The AP reports:

Gunmen on a motorbike shot and killed a Saudi diplomat as he was driving in Pakistan's largest city on Monday, just days after two hand grenades were tossed at the Arab state's consulate building, police in Karachi said.

The motive for the attack was not clear, but it comes against a backdrop of tensions between Islam's Sunni and Shiite branches, both in the Middle East and in Pakistan, and follows the killing of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden in an American raid on May 2.

Al-Qaida is a fierce opponent of the Saudi regime and has sworn revenge for the death of bin Laden. But no one immediately claimed responsibility for the diplomat's slaying.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, the country's most high profile militant group, called The Associated Press to say it did not kill the diplomat. But the spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan, said it was opposed to Saudi Arabia because of its alliance with the United States.

Monday's attack took place not far from the consulate building. The diplomat – who was driving a silver Toyota Corona and was alone – appeared to be on his way to work, said police officer Zameer Husain Abbasi. He said a 9 mm pistol was used in the assault.

The victim, identified as Hasan Khattani, was a member of the security staff at the consulate, said Iqbal Mehmood, Karachi's deputy inspector of police. He said the shooting was carried out by two men on a motorbike and appeared to be linked to last week's grenade attack on the mission, which caused some damage but no injuries.