Saudi Arabia, reeling from bombings that killed 35 people last month, said this morning several suspected "terrorists" were killed and others arrested in a shootout in the holy city of Mecca.
The
Okaz
daily, close to the authorities, said five suspects were killed and seven arrested in an exchange of fire late last night at an apartment building in the al-Khalidiya district of Mecca. It said five policemen were killed and five wounded.
Saudi official sources confirmed there had been deaths and arrests, but not the figures. They said the suspects were wanted men, but declined to say if they were linked to last month's suicide bomb blasts in Riyadh against foreign targets.
"The situation is under control," an official source said. Okaz said the suspects had fled to the building after a car chase with police.
Authorities found large amounts of explosives and weapons in the apartment where the men were hiding.
"Security forces managed to arrest seven wanted people and five were killed during the storming of a building in the Khalidiya district where terrorist elements were thought to be," the paper said.
The kingdom said on Saturday it had arrested five more suspects in the Riyadh attacks in addition to 25 people already in detention.