Yemeni Houthi rebels launched a rocket attack near the Formula 1 race track in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In sight: an oil plant. A huge plume of smoke could be seen near the racetrack.
An explosion and a huge plume of smoke near the Jeddah circuit have sparked new concerns in the Formula 1 paddock in Saudi Arabia. Yemeni Houthi rebels said they again targeted a plant owned by the oil company Aramco in another rocket attack on Friday.
“We are waiting for more information from the authorities about what happened,” said Formula 1 on Friday about the threatening scenes. Shortly before the events, the racing series held its first training session ahead of the Red Sea Grand Prix scheduled for Sunday.
Incident has no impact on the race weekend”
Just last Sunday, Houthi rebels launched attacks against Saudi Arabia using a missile and drones. An Aramco plant in Jeddah was also hit, and fire broke out at an oil tank. The scenes on Friday were reminiscent of these events.
Saudi Arabia is fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The war has triggered one of the greatest current humanitarian catastrophes. Aramco is the main sponsor of Formula 1 and also an important sponsor of the British racing team Aston Martin, for which Sebastian Vettel drives.
The organizers of the race had said about the attack in the previous week: “This incident has no effect on the race weekend.” The safety of everyone involved in the Grand Prix is guaranteed, it said.
Saudi Arabia is considered to be quite safe compared to other countries in the region, but there have also been several terrorist attacks there. At the end of 2020, the Islamic State terrorist militia claimed responsibility for an attack on a ceremony in Jeddah, in which two people were injured. Strict safety regulations usually apply to major events such as sporting events in the country.
Source: Stern
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