A Saudi worker, identified as 35-year-old Zaki Al-Ajami, was killed in the attack.

The killer or the company that sacked him was not named, but the newspaper reported that he had been fired by his employer based in the First Industrial City in Dammam.

It quoted Abdullah Majed, a representative of the company, as saying that the rampage started when the former employee entered the company in a taxi while the gates were open.

He said the killer made his way to the administration building looking for a colleague who he had disputed with, leading to his sacking and being sent to jail.

He said the killer met Al-Ajami on the way and asked him where his ex-colleague was. When he did not receive a satisfactory answer from the victim he shot him twice in the shoulder and continued to make his way into the building, shooting the two Indian workers with his machine gun.

Majed said when the killer failed to find his ex-colleague, he started shooting randomly and returned to Al-Ajami, who was lying soaked in blood, and shot him dead.

One of the injured Indians, Salwan Randfani, is reportedly improving while the other survivor is still in a critical condition.

Randfani said the gunman asked him about the whereabouts of his ex-colleague and when he said he did not know, he was fired at. “This is the last thing I remember,” he said.

A medical source at the hospital reportedly said Al-Ajami arrived at the hospital 25 minutes after the two injured victims and was already dead. He said the victim had seven bullet holes in his body.

Police said the suspect was detained and his weapon confiscated. They added that he would be handed over to the Prosecution and Investigations Commission for further questioning before he appears in court.