DUBAI: Saudi Arabia will increase security for its diplomats in countries considered as danger zones, starting in Pakistan after gunmen killed a Saudi diplomat in Karachi on Monday, a foreign ministry official said.

“We will start with Pakistan, but if security is needed in other countries, we won't hesitate,” said the official, who declined to be named. He declined to specify which countries might see heightened security measures.

Saudi Arabia condemned what it described as a “criminal attack” that killed one of its diplomats in Pakistan on Monday and said it would investigate alongside Pakistani authorities, the state news agency said.

It identified the diplomat who was killed as consulate staffer Hassan al-Qahtani who was “assassinated while on his way to work,” but gave no further details on the attack.