US nationals detained in Saudi Arabia for photographing recent attacks
The US embassy in Riyadh says US nationals were arrested for taking photos of recent events, while Iran-backed Houthi rebels keep striking Saudi airports and energy sites. The number detained and their release status remain unclear.
Detentions and embassy warning
The US embassy in Riyadh announced on Monday, 12 October 2026 that US nationals had been arrested in Saudi Arabia for taking photographs of recent events. The embassy did not say how many Americans were detained or whether any of them had been released. Several foreign residents in the kingdom also reported that relatives had been detained for filming the attacks and sharing the images on social media. The embassy reminded citizens that Saudi authorities regularly warn residents against sharing unauthorized information, photographs or video about missile, drone and rocket attacks, and that such material can lead to judicial proceedings.
Two attacks on Riyadh airport
The detentions follow a run of strikes on the capital's international airport. On Saturday, 10 October, an attack on the airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and injured 309, the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, according to AFP. The airport was attacked again on Sunday, 11 October, when a Pakistani citizen was killed and 11 people were injured. In the days before 12 October, other civilian targets in the kingdom were also targeted by missile and drone fire.
- Attack on Riyadh airport kills 13 people and injures 309
- Second airport attack kills one Pakistani citizen and injures 11; Houthis claim four operations
- US embassy announces that US nationals were arrested for taking photos of recent events
- Killed
- 13 people
- Injured
- 309 people
Houthi claims and targets
Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen said on Sunday, 11 October, that they had carried out four large-scale operations using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. According to the rebels, the targets were the airports in Riyadh and Dammam and Aramco facilities, namely a gas plant in Szugadam and a refinery in Tanadżib in the east of the country. Al-Ekhbariya, a government-run channel, reported on Monday that the Saudi-led military coalition was responding to a threat of drones and cruise missiles aimed at the kingdom, without saying where the projectiles were heading.
Access restrictions for US officials
The US embassy said US officials in Saudi Arabia will now need special authorization to access all airports in the kingdom. It recommended that Americans exercise the utmost caution when travelling by air. The embassy's warning about photographs and its air travel guidance were issued together, and both come as the Houthi strikes on Saudi civilian sites continue.
