Saudi Al Qaeda Leader Slain

Saleh Mohammed al-Aoofi Among Six Militants Killed In Police Clash

(AP)  In Riyadh, police also raided an apartment in the capital's northern al-Massef neighborhood at about 6 a.m. Thursday, sparking a firefight with militants holed up inside.

"Security forces during the early morning stormed a number of places in Riyadh and Medina, where it is suspected some of those affiliated to the deviant group were hiding," al-Turki said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.

Authorities here regularly refer to militants belonging to the Saudi branch of al Qaeda as the "deviant group."

Another security official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press, said four militants were killed in the Riyadh shootout, during which a hand grenade was thrown at the police but did not explode.

The Interior Ministry statement said human remains found at the Riyadh site indicated that at least one of the slain suspects had been blown apart in an explosion, the nature of which was not immediately clear.

The nationalities of the militants killed in Riyadh and the third who was arrested were not immediately clear.

Police helicopters hovered overhead the Riyadh apartment as security forces sealed off the area, preventing pedestrians or vehicles entering or leaving the scene.

After the clashes ended, police entered the apartment and found weapons, explosives and various documents inside, according to the Interior Ministry statement.

Since May 2003, Islamic militants have carried out numerous suicide bombings and kidnappings and have regularly battled security forces. The attacks, which have tended to target Westerners and housing complexes were Westerners live, have been blamed on al Qaeda and its allies.

Saudi forces claim to have gotten the upper hand against terror cells, killing or capturing all but three of the figures on a previous most wanted list of 25 militants.