JEDDAH — Saudis took to social media to express shock and anger while taking a united stand against terrorism on Monday after a suicide bomber blew himself up near the US Consulate here. Saudis and expats living in the Kingdom turned to social media platforms like Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram to condemn the attacks. While a Facebook user Abdul Kareem posted: "Islam is a religion of mercy. What is happening has nothing to do with Islam. Killing and suicide is unacceptable to our religion of peace" a Twitter user Khazims tweeted: "Jeddah was one of the safest cities in the Middle East today. We all stand against terrorists." Other Twitter users shared their concern for the Kingdom's safety using the hashtag '#The bombing of US Consulate in Jeddah' in Arabic that became the trending topic on Twitter along with #Jeddah and #StayStrongSaudi among others. As the world joined the conversation, another Facebook user Saira Samee from Brunei posted: "Heart weeps. Keeping Jeddah, Baghdad, Bangladesh, and Turkey in prayers. May the victims of insane violence and meaningless killings all around the world find solace. May the world rise against these incriminating waves of inhumanity and end the merciless killings. Amen." Young Saudis living abroad shared pictures of the Saudi flag on Instagram and Facebook condemning the attack sharing a common concern for safety in Jeddah. Fathima, a Snapchat user uploaded pictures from Twitter on her Snapchat story with the message: "I can't believe this is happening in my hometown! I pray we find peace and stand together during this time when Islam is being targeted. We as a nation condemn these attacks all over the world!" Witnesses near the consulate uploaded videos on social media sites showing police cars and sirens around the crime scene as security forces cordoned off the area. Two policemen were reportedly injured as they tackled the bomber who was in a car driving towards the mosque between Soliman Fakeeh hospital and the US Consulate on Palestine Street. The Consulate was also attacked in 2004, leaving nine people dead.
