Saudi Arabian security forces had reportedly shot down a recreational drone in the capital on Saturday after online videos showing gunfire in a neighbourhood where royal palaces are located.
The Riyadh police spokesman, quoted by the official Saudi News Agency (SPA), said a security screening point noticed the flying of a small unauthorised recreational drone at 7:50 pm local time, leading security forces to deal with it according to their orders and instructions.
There were no casualties, and King Salman was not at his palace at the time, a senior Saudi official told Reuters.
“The king was at his farm in Diriya,” the official said, naming another area of the capital.
Amateur footage circulating earlier on social media showed loud gunfire that lasted for at least 30 seconds, said Reuters.
One video showed two police cars parked in the middle of a dark street. Reuters was unable to independently verify the videos’ authenticity.
Asked about the footage, the official said the drone had been shot down, and added that the government would introduce regulations for the use of recreational drones.
Saudi Arabia has witnessed a series of radical political changes over the past year under the king’s son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has spearheaded reforms to transform the economy, open the country culturally, and impose a more tolerant form of Islam in the deeply conservative kingdom.
