High-ranking al-Qaida suspects killed in Saudi battle
Saudi police have killed nine al-Qaida linked militants, two of whom are believed to be on a list of most wanted terrorists, officials said today, as a tense stand-off between security forces and heavily armed extremists continued.
Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Mansour al-Turki said the deaths came in one of the security force’s largest ever battles with militants that began on Sunday in ar-Rass, 220 miles north-west of the capital, Riyadh.
A police official claimed among those killed by police were Moroccan Kareem Altohami al-Mojati and Saudi Saud Homood Obaid al-Otaibi, who were ranked four and seven respectively on Saudi Arabia’s list of most wanted al-Qaida linked terror suspects, issued in December 2004.
Up to 10 militants, armed with a large arsenal, remain holed up today in a large white villa-like building in ar-Rass. Scores of security personnel have cordoned off the area.
