The Saudi Embassy in Kuwait City said Monday that it was following up the killing of a Saudi citizen, who had taken his family hostage at gun point, in an exchange of fire with security officers in the country.

The embassy identified the Saudi as Abdul Aziz Saud, 20. “According to our information, the slain Saudi carries a Kuwaiti civil identity card and it was written on the card that he was a Saudi citizen,” it said.

The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said on Sunday that the Saudi had taken members of his family hostage at gunpoint, and later stabbed one of them.

“The young man was a drug addict, and at the time of the incident was under the effect of drugs,” the ministry said.

He started shooting at the police force that arrived at the scene in Taima in Jahra with a machinegun and injured two officers, who were taken to hospital, it added.

“When the young man randomly shot at police with a machinegun, security officers ordered the suspect to surrender and had long negotiations with him and members of the family, giving him enough time, but he proved to be stubborn and continued shooting randomly, posing a threat to security men and passersby,” the Kuwaiti police explained.

The police sought assistance from special forces, who broke into the house at 7:50 a.m. on Sunday. The man was carrying a number of weapons including a hunting rifle, a machinegun and ammunition.