Riyadh: Saudi Arabia announced Saturday the death of four militants in an exchange of fire with police in the disturbed city of Al-Awamiyah in the Eastern Province, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The exchange of fire took place when police tried to arrest suspects who shot dead a policeman last Sunday, the Saudi interior ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
The main suspect of Sunday’s shooting was among the dead. A policeman was injured in the operation, Xinhua reported citing the statement.
Al-Awamiya is among the few districts in Saudi Arabia with high Shia population that represents the minority in the Sunni conservative country. The area has been witnessing unrest in the last few years.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia announced the arrest of 135 terrorists for rioting, vandalism and attacks on security forces in Al-Awamiya.