Paris, Nov 11 (AP) French officials say multiple people were wounded on Wednesday when an explosive device hit a ceremony commemorating the end of World War II at a cemetery in the Saudi Arabian city of Jiddah.

The officials from the French Foreign Ministry said that several countries had representatives at the ceremony, held at a cemetery for non-Muslim dead. The identities of the victims were unclear.

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Wednesday marks the 102nd anniversary of the armistice ending World War I and is commemorated in several European countries. The French officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The attack follows on the heels of a stabbing on October 29 that slightly wounded a guard at the French Consulate in the city of Jiddah. France has urged its citizens in the kingdom to be “on maximum alert” amid heightened tensions after an assailant decapitated a French middle school teacher who showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class.

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The French president's support for caricatures as a cornerstone of free speech has riled some Muslims who view the depictions as incitement and a form of hate speech. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)