Saudi court orders execution over US consulate attack

5 employees were killed in 2004 storming of building in Jiddah that led to a 3-hour gun battle

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A Saudi court sentenced a man to death and 19 others to prison terms of up to 25 years in connection with the 2004 armed assault on the US Consulate in Jiddah that killed five employees in an attack blamed on al-Qaeda.

The official Saudi Press Agency says another 35 suspects linked to the consulate storming will face court hearings this week.

The report late Sunday gave no further details on the alleged attacker sentenced to death or when the execution could be carried out.

The attack on the heavily guarded compound came amid a series of attacks by al-Qaeda-linked militants in response to crackdowns across Saudi Arabia. Gunmen killed five locally hired consulate workers, and four attackers were fatally wounded in the three-hour battle.