Saudi police shoot suspect dead: ministry

Saudi police shot dead a wanted man on Tuesday during an exchange of fire, in which he killed his father and wounded two policemen, official media said, providing few details.

The shootout comes with the kingdom on alert for attacks by the Islamic State jihadist group.

The Saudi Press Agency, citing the interior ministry, said the shooting occurred at 1:00 am (2200 GMT Monday) but did not say where nor why the man killed was wanted.

The ministry said police were “taking measures to bring in a wanted suspect, accompanied by his father” when the fugitive opened fire with an automatic weapon.

“As a result, his father was killed,” and the two officers wounded. Police then shot dead the suspect, the ministry added.

In the southwestern city of Taif on July 3, a policeman was gunned down during a raid in which three people were arrested and flags of the IS group extremists found, police said earlier.

IS has been blamed for killing other Saudi policemen and has claimed deadly bombings of Shiite mosques in the kingdom and neighbouring Kuwait and Yemen.

Saudi Arabia released a list of 16 men suspected of involvement in a pair of May suicide bombings at mosques in Eastern Province, home to most of the kingdom’s Shiite minority.