Three performers stabbed on stage during play in Saudi capital

A Yemeni man stabbed three performers during a live play in the Saudi capital Monday, police said, in the first such attack since the ultra-conservative kingdom began easing decades-old restrictions on entertainment.

The assailant was arrested after state television footage showed him stomping onto the stage in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Park during a musical performance by what appeared to be a foreign theatre troupe.

“Security forces dealt with a… stabbing attack against two men and a woman from a theatre group during a live performance,” a police spokesman was quoted as saying by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Police said the man arrested was a 33-year-old Yemeni expatriate and that the knife used in the attack was seized.

The statement added the victims were in stable condition but offered no information about their nationality or the motivation of the assailant.