A gunman was shot dead early Saturday in an attack on a palace of Saudi Interior Minister Nayef bin Abdel Aziz in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, reported the state Saudi Press Agency dpa reported
The unidentified assailant fired on a security checkpoint near the palace. Guards responded by shooting him dead, a Jeddah police spokesman quoted by the agency said.
There was no other casualty in the incident, according to the agency.
Nayef led a campaign against al-Qaeda insurgents from 2003 to 2005.
Two years ago, his son, Mohamed, who is in charge of a Saudi anti-terror programme, survived an attempt on his life by a suicide bomber. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the bid