Dammam, Saudi Arabia – Saudi security forces battled heavily armed suspected al-Qaeda members holed up in a seafront apartment building Monday, a day after two militants – one of them the kingdom’s No. 3 most-wanted terrorist – died in the fighting.
Zaid Saad Zaid al-Samari, a 31-year-old Saudi, was killed Sunday in Dammam, a security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give information to the media. A police officer also was killed Sunday.
Al-Samari was on a list of 36 most-wanted terrorists sought in relation to multiple terror attacks launched in this kingdom since May 2003.
An unknown number of militants fled Sunday to a white two-story building near Dammam’s commercial district, which police surrounded on Monday as fierce gun battles continued for a second day.
At least 30 anti-terrorism forces have been wounded since Sunday, including several critically, according to Dammam Central Hospital, which treated the victims.
Police unleashed heavy barrages of gunfire but held off launching a direct assault on the building in hopes the militants will surrender, officials said.
Officers evacuated people from nearby buildings and blocked off streets leading into the area, including the city’s main shore promenade.
“We are dealing with people who have a tendency to blow themselves up, and we know they have a significant number of weapons and explosives,” Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki told The Associated Press.
The clashes prompted U.S. authorities to close the American consulate in nearby Dhahran.
