Gunmen on motorcycles have shot and killed a Saudi diplomat in the Pakistani city of Karachi.
It is the second attack on the Saudi mission in Pakistan since the killing of Osama bin Laden increased tensions in the region.
Al-Qaeda is violently opposed to the Saudi government and has vowed revenge for the killing of its leader by US special forces in a Pakistani military town on 2 May.
Four people riding motorcycles opened fire on the Saudi diplomat's car, a Karachi police official said.
The diplomat, a low ranking security official, was on his way to the consulate when the assailants struck.
The shooting occurred days after unidentified attackers threw two hand grenades at the Saudi consulate in Karachi, Pakistan's commercial hub. No one was hurt in that attack.
A Saudi Interior Ministry official told Reuters in Dubai that security would be stepped up to protect Saudi diplomats living in ‘dangerous’ areas.
Riyadh described the killing of the diplomat as a ‘criminal attack’ and said it would investigate alongside Pakistani authorities, the state news agency said.
Pakistan's Taliban - who have strong ties to al-Qaeda - said they took responsibility for the attack.
