Saudi cop shot in flashpoint Shiite city

RIYADH: A Saudi policeman has been shot and wounded in a flashpoint Shiite-dominated city, the interior ministry said yesterday.

It was the latest incident in the Qatif area, where violence has flared over the past month.

The policeman was shot “from an unknown source” late on Tuesday while on duty in the Gulf coast city of Qatif, it said.

“His condition is stable” in hospital, it said.

On June 1 in Qatif, a car exploded in the street, killing the two occupants who the ministry later identified as wanted suspects.

One of them, Fadel al-Hamada, was sought along with others for involvement in the killing of 10 security forces members over the past two years in the Dammam and Qatif areas, the ministry said.

The second man, Mohammed al-Suwaimil, was linked to two of those murders, it said.

Their vehicle was found to contain weapons and explosive material which blew up after police took “necessary action”, the ministry said.

A rights group, the Berlin-based European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, accused authorities of killing the men with explosives but gave no detail.

In the Qatif district town of Awamiya, violence has intensified over the past few weeks.

The interior ministry has blamed criminals engaged in the drug and arms trade for the unrest. — AFP