Bangladeshi Islamic scholar killed in Houthi attack on Riyadh airport: Saudi media

Bangladeshi Islamic scholar Nasrullah Al-Badr was killed in a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi media reported Monday.

Al Arabiya and other media outlets released footage purportedly showing Al-Badr at the airport shortly before Saturday’s attack as he was traveling to perform Umrah, or minor pilgrimage.

The footage showed him inside the airport before an explosion struck the passenger terminal, sending flames and thick smoke into the area.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said Sunday that 12 people, including four Saudi citizens and eight foreign residents, were killed and 309 others injured in the attack.

The death toll rose to 13 after the Indian Embassy in Riyadh announced that one of its nationals had died of injuries sustained in the attack.

Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government, accused the Houthis of carrying out the attack, calling it a “full-fledged war crime.”

He said the coalition’s Joint Forces Command would respond “firmly and in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules.”

The attack came amid escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since July, including strikes on civilian aviation facilities and energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The group has controlled the capital Sanaa and several other provinces since September 2014.