Saudi Arabia warns 'iron first' response to extremists threatening its security

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday warned an "iron fist" response to extremists threatening its security.

Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto ruler, warned those seeking to carry out jihadist acts of a "painful and severe punishment".

It comes after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bomb blast that struck a World War I commemoration at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah on Wednesday, just two weeks after a guard at the French consulate in the Red Sea city was wounded by a knife-wielding Saudi citizen.

The attacks, which underscore Muslim fury over French satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, come as Saudi Arabia prepares for the G20 leaders' summit later this month, the first to be hosted by an Arab nation.

Wednesday's attack occurred two weeks after a Saudi man wounded a security guard at the French consulate in Jeddah with what has been described as a "sharp tool" and after recent Islamist militant attacks in France and Austria.

Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is committed to confronting extremism and rejects and condemns all terrorist acts.

He said actual terror attacks in the kingdom, the world's top oil exporter and a key US ally, had "fallen to near-zero" following a restructuring of the interior ministry and reforming of the security sector that began in mid-2017.

Prince Mohammed, who pledged in 2017 to return Saudi Arabia to an "open, moderate Islam", has sought to roll back the influence of the ultra-conservative religious establishment.

The prince also said the kingdom would continue to combat corruption after the state recovered 247 billion riyals ($65.86 billion) in settlements in addition to assets worth tens of billions of riyals in the past three years.

The heir to the Saudi throne has curbed the influence of the once-powerful religious police, as he permits mixed-gender music concerts, cinemas, and other entertainment options that appeal to a majority young population.

But simultaneously, the prince has launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent and free speech, arresting women activists, clerics, and journalists as well as royal family members.

In January 2019 Saudi Arabia ended a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in which many members of the kingdom's economic and political elite were detained.

Critics saw the crackdown as a power grab by the crown prince, who has moved to sideline any rivals to his eventual succession to the throne. Prince Mohammed has defended the campaign as "shock therapy" as he tries to overhaul the economy.