RIYADH - Three performers were stabbed during a play in Riyadh on Monday night and the alleged assailant was arrested, the Saudi Press Agency reported. This was the first such incident since the Kingdom opened its doors for entertainment.

“At around 8.00 p.m. Riyadh police have arrested a Yemeni national, aged 33, after he stabbed two men and a woman who were members of a theatrical group during a live show in a theatre at King Abdullah Park in Malaz district, in the center of the capital city," spokesman of Riyadh police said in a statement.

The man, carrying a knife, was seen stomping onto the stage to attack performers in theatrical costumes during a musical performance, in footage broadcast on Al-Ekbariya. Security men immediately stormed and overpowered the attacker.

The artists who sustained superficial wounds were provided treatment and they were in stable condition, the spokesman said adding that police started an investigation into the incident. SG/SPA