Saudis on high alert after Karachi attack

KARACHI, Pakistan, May 17 (UPI) -- Saudi students studying in Karachi, Pakistan, are provided with constant security following the assassination of a Saudi diplomat, embassy officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the death of Saudi diplomat Hassan bin Misfir al-Qahtani.

Police said the diplomat's car was ambushed Monday on the main road in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city. Security officials said he died from a single shot to the head.

Saudi officials told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that the Taliban claim couldn't be verified. Officials there warned the attack wasn't a response to the U.S. slaying of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, noting now wasn't the time to jump to conclusions, the report added.

The newspaper notes that the Saudi consulate in Karachi has taken extra security precautions, including providing around-the-clock security for 150 Saudi students enrolled at a school in Karachi as well as the 90 university students there.

The Arab newspaper notes unidentified assailants lobbed two grenades at the Saudi consulate in Karachi last week. Riyadh said it was investigating both attacks.