TAIF, 19 February — Police are questioning a Saudi national who allegedly terrorized residents of a suburban area in Taif after breaking into a mosque wielding a gun, press reports said yesterday.
After entering the mosque in Rumaida, northeast of Taif city, at midnight, the man made a prayer call, Al-Riyadh newspaper said. The man opened fire at security officers who tried to overpower him.
The paper said that the man had fired more than 350 rounds at patrol police who had besieged the mosque. No one was injured in the firing.
The gunman, however, escaped breaking the police siege, but was later arrested.
Brig. Muhammad Al-Faer, acting director of Taif police, lauded the efforts of his officers in tracking down the gunman, who was said to be mentally ill. “Investigations are continuing,” the police officer said.
Al-Riyadh said the incident followed a dispute between municipal officials and the residents of Rumaida over building permits. The municipality had announced that the rest houses and shops built without permits would be dismantled.
