Saudi Police Kill Country's Most Wanted Man
VOA News
03 Jul 2003, 21:26 UTC
Saudi officials say the country's most wanted man and the top suspect in the May suicide bombings in Riyadh has been killed in a shootout with police.
Turki Nasser al-Dandani and three others died in a gunbattle that erupted Thursday after police raided their hideout in the northern Saudi town of Suweir in al-Jawf province, about 900 kilometers north of Riyadh. Two police officers were wounded.
The Saudi Interior Ministry says the suspects had taken refuge in a house opposite a mosque, and they used machine guns and hand grenades to hold off authorities for five hours.
In addition to Mr. al-Dandani and the three suspects killed with him, a fourth suspect and the imam of the mosque surrendered.
Saudi officials say Mr. al-Dandani was their most wanted fugitive for the May 12th suicide attacks on a Riyadh housing compound for westerners. The attack killed 35 people including nine suicide attackers.
The second most wanted man in the bombings and alleged mastermind, Ali Abd al-Rahman al-Faqasi al-Ghamdi, surrendered last week.
Saudi officials blame Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorists for the Riyadh bombing.
They say a nationwide crackdown on suspected Islamic militants has resulted in 125 arrests and prevented attacks in Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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