Saudi security force have killed two of the country's most wanted militant fugitives in fierce clashes in the northern town of Al-Ras, Al Arabiya television said on Tuesday. The Saudi-owned channel named the two men as Saud Homoud al-Oteibi and Moroccan Abdulkarim al-Mejjati, a suspected mastermind of suicide bombings in Casablanca in May 2003 who has also been linked to last year's Madrid train bombings.
| Hurrah! I shall now spend the afternoon ululating... |
Both were on a list of 26 most wanted militants published by the Saudi government, which has been battling a wave of violence by supporters of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network since triple suicide bombings in Riyadh nearly two years ago. Officials were not immediately available to confirm the report, but their deaths would deal another significant blow to a militant campaign which has targeted Westerners and security forces in the world's biggest oil exporter.
| And still somehow ticks along despite the corpse count... |
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said on Monday security forces had killed seven gunmen in the fierce gunbattles which broke out in Al-Ras, 300 km (180 miles) northwest of Riyadh, early on Sunday and raged on into Monday night.
| We never see gentle gunbattles anymore... |
An eighth militant was critically wounded and a number of security personnel were injured, though most had been released from hospital, a ministry statement said. A spokesman earlier said the suspected militants, holed up in a complex in the town's Jawazat neighbourhood, had hurled hand grenades at security forces during one of the longest and bloodiest confrontations in Saudi Arabia's two-year security crackdown.
| "Harrr! Take that, coppers!... Hey, lady! Look out! [KABOOM!]... Sorry! Hope you're not a Moose limb!" |
The battle erupted early on Sunday when security forces tried to raid a house where the suspects were staying. Witnesses said the house was secured by Monday morning but gunfire had erupted from a nearby building. "They were asked to surrender, but those people are known not to listen," local governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdul-Aziz said, describing the gunmen as "terrorists". The town of Al-Ras is in the conservative Qassim province, the heartland of Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi doctrine, which some critics say has fuelled intolerance and anti-Western violence.
| Kinda makes you wonder what the other critics say, doesn't it? |
Saudi officials say the country's oil fields and refineries are well protected and Al Qaeda's network has been eroded over the last year. The deaths of Mejjati and Oteibi would leave just four suspects at large from the list of 26 top militants issued by Saudi Arabia in December 2003. Saudi newspaper reports have described Mejjati as an explosives expert and one of the most dangerous of the fugitives. Oteibi is believed to have moved between Yemen and Saudi Arabia before fighting in Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
UPDATE, EFL:
Saudi forces waging a fierce three-day battle with gunmen have killed a top militant suspected of masterminding al Qaeda bombings in Casablanca, security sources said on Tuesday. They said Abdulkarim al-Mejjati was one of 10 militants killed in the clashes which broke out on Sunday in Al-Ras, 180 miles northwest of Riyadh, and raged on into Tuesday.
"This is a monumental breakthrough for Saudi security forces," said Saudi security consultant Nawaf Obaid. "Not just domestically -- Mejjati was the subject of a major manhunt across Europe." Another militant was wounded and captured and one more surrendered to security forces, the sources said.
Mejjati, a Moroccan, was killed in Al-Ras alongside Saud Homoud al-Oteibi, they added. Both were on a list of 26 most wanted suspects issued by Saudi Arabia more than a year ago. Saudi officials had believed he was outside the country. The deaths of Mejjati and Oteibi would mean only four of the original 26 fugitives remain at large, including Saleh al-Awfi, believed to have taken over leadership of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia in June despite being less experienced than the Moroccan.
| "Mahmoud, I don't think we'll need the big conference room for our next meeting!" |
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