Three dead in Riyadh clash

2004-06-30 16:49

Riyadh - A shootout in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday killed two militants and one policemen, a security official said, adding that at least one militant fled the scene.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the shootout and a subsequent police chase occurred in the al-Quds neighbourhood in eastern Riyadh.

It was not immediately clear if the militants were on a list of 26 most wanted terrorists sought in relation to previous attacks in the Gulf kingdom.

No further details were immediately available.

During the past year, Saudi Arabia has been rocked by suicide bombings, gunbattles and kidnappings targeting foreign workers.

The attacks have been blamed on al-Qaeda and sympathisers of the anti-Western terror network headed by Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden.

The most recent attack was the June 12 kidnapping of American engineer Paul Johnson, who was decapitated by his captors after the government rejected a demand to release all detained militants in the oil-rich country.

After 13 months of terror strikes linked to al-Qaeda, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd decreed last week that the government would spare the lives of militants who surrendered within one month.

- AP