Security forces shot and killed another top terrorist on the government's most wanted list during a raid in the capital late Tuesday night. "Eisa ibn Saad Al-Awshan and Miejib Abu Ras Al-Dosari were killed and three others were wounded and arrested" during a raid on a villa in the northern King Fahd neighborhood, a statement from the Interior Ministry said.
| Neither of them is al-Oufi, we might add... |
Al-Awshan, a Saudi, was No. 13 on the ministry's list of 26-most-wanted terrorists. Security forces rushed to a villa on Abi Razi Street after a loud explosion was heard, reportedly caused by a hand-made grenade being prepared by the suspects. A fierce gunbattle erupted after security officers besieged the area. Locals said the terrorists used automatic weapons and fired several shots from rocket-propelled grenades, causing three nearby cars to explode. The ministry said armed men inside the villa engaged in an exchange of fire with security forces before fleeing, and that three policemen were slightly hurt.
| "Yeah! Them guys with the turbans just tromped right over 'em..." |
Saudi forces sealed off all access streets to the area while helicopters helped in the search for at least eight suspects who managed to escape from the villa.
| "Come out witcher hands up! Yer... uhhh... surrounded... or somethin'!" |
Two "suspects" were also detained during the search of the three locations that followed the gunbattle, reported the ministry.
"Take him in, Mahmoud! He's got a suspicious look to me!"
"Hey! That's my cousin Ahmed!"
"Well, take that guy in, then!" |
The statement followed unconfirmed reports that one of the suspects gunned down during the raid was Saleh Muhammad Al-Oufi, the alleged Al-Qaeda chief in Saudi Arabia. Oufi, a 38-year-old former police officer, is No. 4 on the most-wanted list. He was reported to have replaced Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin, who was killed with three associates in the capital on June 18 shortly after their "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula" posted photos on websites showing the beheading of American aeronautics engineer Paul Johnson. Saudi authorities are keeping Saleh Al-Oufi's family in custody after the shootout, the ministry stated, as it was evident that Al-Oufi had been living in the villa along with his family.
| The Soddy coppers never thought to drop by his house to see if he was home? |
Al-Oufi is believed to have fled the scene after security forces arrived.
Police found rocket-propelled grenades, a SAM-7 surface-to-air missile, vast quantities of explosives and ammunition and SR360,000 during the operation. The clash came as Saudi leaders made a final call for Al-Qaeda-linked extremists to turn themselves in under the pardon and was the first incident of its kind since July 1, when police said two of the Kingdom's most wanted men were killed in a shootout. The authorities have said they will not extend the amnesty. "We hope that those remaining will be reasonable enough to use the period left to turn themselves in," said Defense Minister Prince Sultan ibn Abdul Aziz. Prince Sultan insisted security forces had the upper hand in dealing with the terrorists. "The deterioration of this deviant group and the downfall of its figures one after the other confirm that Allah is looking after this country," he said. Sheikh Awad Al-Qarni, an Islamic scholar in favor of mediation efforts, however saw the response as more favorable. "It seems that the amnesty produced great results through the positive response from some of those wanted," he said, adding that the "violent group has been immensely weakened."
| Four guys surrender, one of them in a wheelchair, and it's great results? For whom? |
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