Five Saudi Arabian security men were killed, one suspected detained

Five Saudi Arabian security men were killed, and a father for one wanted, in a security case during an inspection operation on Thursday, at his house in Riyadh while the activist and other suspected persons were detained, according to the Saudi ministry of the Interior.

The armed clash took place in the residential suburb of al-Faiha', in al-Naseem area, yesterday evening, after the security forces received a call from an informer that the wanted are in one housing villas. Witnesses said they saw ambulances transporting the wounded or killed persons.

One official said that the wanted detainee is "very important person," adding that he was not in the list of 24 persons the government specified as wanted. Scores of police cars blocked the area where the clash took place after the security forces broke into a house suspecting that one of the wanted are living in.

The same area witnessed this month an armed clash between the security forces and three suspected men riding a car and were able to flee away. Since months the Saudi authorities have been launching a campaign of arrest and breaking in, in various parts of the Kingdom in search of gunmen suspected to have links to al-Qaida organization since several months. This resulted in detention of hundreds and the killing of 50 persons at least, in attacks against residential complexes in Riyadh since May 2003.