Saudi security detains armed Iraqi gang, clashes in al-Jubeil

A spokesman for the Saudi Arabian ministry of interior said that the police arrested four Iraqis following an armed clash in the industrial city of Jubeil, east of the kingdom, in the first incident of its kind.

Lt. Gen. Mansour al-Turkey said that the security patrols monitored Iraqis on Monday evening sneaked to the country in an attempt to steal cars and smuggle it to abroad.

He added that the those who crossed the border opened fire at the vehicle after approaching them and this resulted in armed clashes in which one of the infiltrators was injured and the other three were arrested.

The spokesman stressed that the authorities will make investigation to know the link between these clashes and the wave of violence launched by members of al-Qaida organization in the kingdom since more than two years.

The Saudi authorities announced recently the foiling of expected attacks and arresting 41 persons in what it described as extremists in a series of security attacks launched by the security forces following the killing of Saleh al-Ofi, one of the most important members of al-Qaida organization in the Saudi Arabia in July.