Saudi Arabian official assassinated by unidentified person

Sources of the governorate of al-Jouf area in Saudi Arabia said that the governor's secretary which is situated to the north of the kingdom was assassinated Monday morning by bullets in Skaka by an unidentified person who was able escape.

The sources said that the Secretary Hamad al-Wardi ( 50 year old) was hit by the fatal bullets when he was in the downtown of Sakaka, the capital of the governorate which is close to the borders with Jordan, heading in his car for his office.

Meantime, the Islamic movement for reforms -- a Saudi opposition movement in London -- confirmed the assassination incident. In a statement, the movement said it had learnt from its sources in al-Jouf that al-Wardi was assassinated on Monday morning by an unidentified person.

However, this assassination incident is considered the second of its kind in the region which witnessed in September, 2002 the assassination of judge Sheikh Abdul Rahman Muhammad Nasser al-Suheibani, the judge of the Extraordinary court in Skaka in an armed attack.