This archive report was first published on 29 December 2019.
On November 11, a 33-year-old Yemeni man went on a stabbing spree during a live musical in Riyadh's King Abdullah Park, wounding four performers.
The attack occurred at one of the venues hosting the two-month 'Riyadh Season' entertainment festival, which is part of a broader government push to open up the kingdom to tourists and diversify its economy.
According to Saudi police, the assailant was linked to militant group Al-Qaeda, and last week, Al-Ekhbariya reported that he took orders from an Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen.
However, there has been no claim of responsibility from the group, and Al-Ekhbariya did not offer any details on his alleged accomplice, who was also sentenced to 12 years and six months in jail.
The attack has raised concerns about the impact of Saudi Arabia's social reforms on the deeply conservative nation. While the reforms are popular among the young population, they risk angering religious hardliners.
As part of its reforms, Saudi Arabia has allowed mixed-gender concerts and reopened cinemas, with de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pursuing sweeping social reforms that mark the biggest cultural shakeup in the kingdom's modern history.
