Four militants dead after attack on Saudi security forces

Four men were killed Sunday as they attacked a Saudi security services base in a town north of the capital Riyadh, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The agency, quoting a spokesman for the state security services, said three policemen were also wounded and that an investigation had been launched to identify the perpetrators.

“A group of terrorists launched a desperate attack that was repelled,” SPA said, without giving further details.

London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper earlier reported that the attack targeted state security forces in the town of Zulfi, 260 kilometres (160 miles) north of the capital.

It said the attackers had rammed a vehicle into a security barrier around the base in an attempt to gain entry.

Two gunmen then stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire, sparking a gun battle with police, who killed them, the paper reported.

A third was gunned down as he attempted to flee while a fourth died as he tried to set off an explosive belt, the paper said.

It did not mention any casualties among security personnel.

The Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya also reported four people died during an attack, but gave no details.

On April 7, two men armed with explosives were killed and two others arrested as they attacked a security checkpoint in a predominantly Shiite region in eastern Saudi Arabia, which has seen years of demonstrations against the Sunni royal family.

Sunday’s attack took place in a majority Sunni region.

An estimated 10-15 percent of the ultra-conservative kingdom’s 32 million population are Shiite, although no official figures exist.