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| Arabia |
| Soddies bust 2 al-Qaeda members |
| 2005-11-02 |
| Security forces arrested two militants suspected of belonging to the Al-Qaeda network following raids in Madinah and Zulfi on Monday. Informed sources told Arab News that both suspects did not figure on a list of 35 most wanted terrorists issued in June this year. They said the detainee in Zulfi was one of the most important supporters of the regional branch of Al-Qaeda. The source did not reveal the detaineeâs name or age. Security forces picked up the man in a pre-dawn raid on Monday at a house in Zulfi, 300 kilometers north of the capital Riyadh. He did not resist arrest and pamphlets supporting Al-Qaeda were found in his possession, said the security source. In Madinah, security forces sealed off Al-Masanie district after the arrest of the suspect there, the sources said. âPolice have seized a golden color GMC van and examined items found inside the vehicle,â the sources told Arab News. Police later raided a house in Quba district. Periodic crackdowns by Saudi security forces on suspected militants were stepped up into a concerted anti-terror campaign in May 2003. Mondayâs arrests came after two gunmen killed a policeman on the outskirts of Makkah on Saturday. The shooting took place at a time when more than 1.5 million faithful gathered in the holy city to take part in prayers at the Grand Mosque on the most important night in the holy month of Ramadan. The two assailants opened fire on a police patrol, which had flagged down their car for a routine check, a security source said. He identified the slain police officer as Mohammed Al-Zahrani, who was shot in the head. The victim was rushed to hospital where he died of his wounds. The other officer was unscathed but the attackers fled, the source added. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki confirmed the incident, which took place in Um Al-Joud on the old Makkah-Jeddah road, about seven kilometers from the Grand Mosque. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |