Police identify Irish man shot dead in Saudi Arabia

Police in Saudi Arabia are investigating the murder of a 63-year-old Irishman in the country’s capital, Riyadh, yesterday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has named the man as Anthony Christopher Higgins.

Mr Higgins, a civil engineer, was shot four times at close range as he worked in his office in the east of the city yesterday evening.

The attack is believed to have been carried out by two gunmen.

The motive for the shooting is unknown, though reports this morning claimed it was carried out by Islamic militants.

In early June, Simon Cumbers, an Irish cameraman working for the BBC, was also shot dead by Islamic militants while filming in Riyadh.