Saudi authorities said Wednesday (April 26th) they had intercepted an unmanned boat rigged with explosives that was sent by Yemen's Houthis (Ansarallah) to target an oil plant on the kingdom's south-western coast, AFP reported.
The boat, sent from a small island off the Yemeni coast, was targeting a petroleum products distribution terminal run by Saudi oil giant Aramco when it was intercepted on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
"The boat was spotted when it departed from a small island in Yemeni waters and gained speed after entering Saudi waters," the ministry said.
After determining that the boat was unmanned, a coast guard unit opened fire on its engine and stopped it 2.8 kilometres from the terminal in the southern Jazan region, the statement said.
The boat was loaded with "strong explosive material", it said.
The ministry vowed to foil all "terrorist attempts" against the kingdom and to "reach those behind them from the Houthi militias".
