Saudi Security Forces Gun Down Most Wanted Terrorist
JEDDAH, 29 December 2005 — Saudi security forces yesterday shot dead a wanted terrorist suspected of killing five policemen in the northern Qassim region, the Interior Ministry said.
The ministry identified the terrorist as Abdul Rahman ibn Saleh Al-Miteb, 26, who figured on a list of 36 most wanted terrorists.
Also yesterday, another wanted terrorist, Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailemi, died in custody after being wounded during a shootout in the region on Tuesday.
“There is one (other) terrorist killed today (Wednesday),” a ministry spokesman said about Al-Miteb, adding that the shooting took place in the same region.
Police identified the second suspect as Al-Miteb after DNA tests. According to security officials the second suspect involved in Tuesday’s shootings was shot dead in a gunbattle yesterday morning when security forces tracked him down after he hijacked a civilian’s car at gunpoint and fled to a desert area located south of Madnab.
The ministry said Al-Miteb died in a gunbattle with security forces in Um Khashba, east of Madnab, at 9 a.m. yesterday, adding that Al-Miteb was holding a machine gun and a hand grenade.
The ministry said Al-Miteb was wanted for killing two patrol policemen on the Riyadh-Qassim Highway, manufacturing explosives, recruiting Saudis to Al-Qaeda network, collecting funds for the group and providing media support for the terror network.
The deadly confrontation between wanted militants and security forces started at 9 a.m. on Tuesday when armed men in a car opened gunfire at a police patrol car east of Buraidah, killing two policemen.
The two policemen were identified as Cpl. Attalah Ali Al-Mutairi and Cpl. Ali Abdul Rahman Al-Qutabi, who were working for the highway police. The three other policemen killed in Tuesday’s shootout were identified as Cpl. Saroor Al-Rashedi, Sgt. Obaid Abdullah Al-Mutairi and soldier Saad Al-Mutairi, all staff of Qassim police. Al-Suwailemi, who was apprehended after Tuesday’s clashes, died of his wounds yesterday and family members identified the body, the ministry said.
Security sources said Suwailemi was an Internet specialist who helped the Saudi wing of Al-Qaeda post web statements. He was also wanted for attacks against security officers in Riyadh. His brother Ahmed died in a shootout in Dammam.
Security forces found six hand grenades, five of which are locally manufactured, three Kalashnikov machine guns with 17 fully loaded clips, five hand guns with three clips, gold jewelry, SR425,330 in cash, five forged car license plates, electronic devices and various documents in the car left by the two terrorists.
Saudi Arabia has been battling Al-Qaeda militants blamed for a series of terror attacks across the country since May 2003. The last major attack took place nearly a year ago and security forces have since killed several leading militants. Analysts said Tuesday’s attack suggested the radicals, who want to destabilize the Kingdom, had limited ability to carry out major attacks. “They were ferrying money somewhere for an operation of some kind, so they were dangerous,” an analyst said.
The militants have killed more than 90 foreigners and Saudis in the last two years and caused more than SR1 billion ($270 million) of damage in attacks on housing compounds, security installations and other facilities.
Tuesday morning’s shootout was the bloodiest gunbattle for three months. The security forces stormed a major Al-Qaeda hide-out in the eastern city of Dammam on Sept. 6, killing all five terrorists inside and ending a three-day gunbattle. Four security men were also killed in the operation in addition to ten being wounded.
The three-day confrontation began after a shootout on Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd Street (just outside Panda supermarket). It resulted in the death of two militants and ended with the storming of a terrorist hideout in the Al-Hamra district.
On the same day last year (Dec. 28, 2004), security forces killed three terrorists and injured another in a gun battle at a gas station near Al-Salam Park in Al-Deera district.
A day later, two days before the clock hit midnight announcing a new year, two car bombs exploded in the capital resulting in the death of seven terrorists, shortly after Saudi security forces raided a terrorist hideout, killing two more terrorists who figured on a list of 26 most wanted terrorists issued the same year.
The ministry identified the terrorist as Abdul Rahman ibn Saleh Al-Miteb, 26, who figured on a list of 36 most wanted terrorists.
Also yesterday, another wanted terrorist, Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailemi, died in custody after being wounded during a shootout in the region on Tuesday.
“There is one (other) terrorist killed today (Wednesday),” a ministry spokesman said about Al-Miteb, adding that the shooting took place in the same region.
Police identified the second suspect as Al-Miteb after DNA tests. According to security officials the second suspect involved in Tuesday’s shootings was shot dead in a gunbattle yesterday morning when security forces tracked him down after he hijacked a civilian’s car at gunpoint and fled to a desert area located south of Madnab.
The ministry said Al-Miteb died in a gunbattle with security forces in Um Khashba, east of Madnab, at 9 a.m. yesterday, adding that Al-Miteb was holding a machine gun and a hand grenade.
The ministry said Al-Miteb was wanted for killing two patrol policemen on the Riyadh-Qassim Highway, manufacturing explosives, recruiting Saudis to Al-Qaeda network, collecting funds for the group and providing media support for the terror network.
The deadly confrontation between wanted militants and security forces started at 9 a.m. on Tuesday when armed men in a car opened gunfire at a police patrol car east of Buraidah, killing two policemen.
The two policemen were identified as Cpl. Attalah Ali Al-Mutairi and Cpl. Ali Abdul Rahman Al-Qutabi, who were working for the highway police. The three other policemen killed in Tuesday’s shootout were identified as Cpl. Saroor Al-Rashedi, Sgt. Obaid Abdullah Al-Mutairi and soldier Saad Al-Mutairi, all staff of Qassim police. Al-Suwailemi, who was apprehended after Tuesday’s clashes, died of his wounds yesterday and family members identified the body, the ministry said.
Security sources said Suwailemi was an Internet specialist who helped the Saudi wing of Al-Qaeda post web statements. He was also wanted for attacks against security officers in Riyadh. His brother Ahmed died in a shootout in Dammam.
Security forces found six hand grenades, five of which are locally manufactured, three Kalashnikov machine guns with 17 fully loaded clips, five hand guns with three clips, gold jewelry, SR425,330 in cash, five forged car license plates, electronic devices and various documents in the car left by the two terrorists.
Saudi Arabia has been battling Al-Qaeda militants blamed for a series of terror attacks across the country since May 2003. The last major attack took place nearly a year ago and security forces have since killed several leading militants. Analysts said Tuesday’s attack suggested the radicals, who want to destabilize the Kingdom, had limited ability to carry out major attacks. “They were ferrying money somewhere for an operation of some kind, so they were dangerous,” an analyst said.
The militants have killed more than 90 foreigners and Saudis in the last two years and caused more than SR1 billion ($270 million) of damage in attacks on housing compounds, security installations and other facilities.
Tuesday morning’s shootout was the bloodiest gunbattle for three months. The security forces stormed a major Al-Qaeda hide-out in the eastern city of Dammam on Sept. 6, killing all five terrorists inside and ending a three-day gunbattle. Four security men were also killed in the operation in addition to ten being wounded.
The three-day confrontation began after a shootout on Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd Street (just outside Panda supermarket). It resulted in the death of two militants and ended with the storming of a terrorist hideout in the Al-Hamra district.
On the same day last year (Dec. 28, 2004), security forces killed three terrorists and injured another in a gun battle at a gas station near Al-Salam Park in Al-Deera district.
A day later, two days before the clock hit midnight announcing a new year, two car bombs exploded in the capital resulting in the death of seven terrorists, shortly after Saudi security forces raided a terrorist hideout, killing two more terrorists who figured on a list of 26 most wanted terrorists issued the same year.
posted by Marko at 12/29/2005 11:30:00 AM
<< Home