SEPANG – Malaysians have been advised to temporarily put off travel to Saudi Arabia for umrah, following security concerns raised by a deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has said.
He said the government was asking citizens to defer non-essential travel to Makkah and Madinah for the time being. The advisory applies even though no incident has been reported in either holy city.
“There has been no incident in Makkah, but the missile explosion in Riyadh has raised security concerns,” he told reporters today.
Mohamad made the remarks after attending the departure of Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the Bunga Raya Complex in Sepang.
The advisory follows Saturday’s attack on King Khalid International Airport. A separate incident involving a projectile that fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was also reported.
The Foreign Ministry said yesterday that no Malaysians had been killed or injured in either incident. The ministry’s confirmation offered some reassurance to families of Malaysians known to be in the kingdom, although the government has opted for a precautionary stance on future travel.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that the Riyadh attack killed 12 people and injured 309 others.
Four of the dead were Saudi nationals, while the remaining victims included two Bangladeshis and one national each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.
The breakdown of nationalities points to the international makeup of those who pass through Saudi Arabia’s major airports. Riyadh and Dammam serve large numbers of travellers, workers and pilgrims from across the world.
For Malaysians, umrah is a popular form of pilgrimage that can be undertaken throughout much of the year, and many prospective pilgrims book through licensed travel agencies months in advance.
Those with upcoming itineraries may wish to follow official updates from the Foreign Ministry and consult their tour operators about rebooking or deferral arrangements.
Governments commonly issue precautionary travel advisories of this kind when security conditions are uncertain, even where the immediate danger to a particular destination has not been confirmed.
Such advisories are typically reviewed as the situation develops, and the Malaysian government has framed its current guidance as temporary. — Sarawak Daily
