JEDDAH, 15 April 2007 — A Saudi man in his 30s was arrested by police, who are looking for two other men who opened fire at a patrol car yesterday morning in the Al-Safa district of the city.
According to police, no one was injured in the shooting that took place around 8 a.m. yesterday.
The incident took place when a police officer in a patrol car became suspicious of a sedan carrying three people; the officer requested the driver of the car to come to a complete stop. The driver refused and subsequently opened fire. One of the shots hit the car but the officer was not injured.
A number of other police cars, which were dispatched after the shooting, managed to locate the car and arrest the driver.
Officers were still searching for his two passengers, who escaped on foot.
Police sources said that the driver, who was wanted by police, has a history of criminal involvement. Police are questioning the man to learn why he opened fire at the patrol team.
In another development, a police officer was found dead yesterday in Al-Qasim region. The circumstances of his death remain unknown.
Al-Arabiya TV channel reported that the body of the police officer had been mutilated. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, the official spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, would only confirm the murder of a policeman.
“We found out that he was a police officer; investigations are ongoing to find out the motive behind the crime and the people responsible,” Gen. Al-Turki told Arab News.
Earlier this month, police killed a wanted terrorist in a gun battle with security forces near the holy city of Madinah. A policeman was also killed. The shootout was linked to the investigation into the Feb. 26 murder of four French nationals outside the holy city.
Interior Minister Prince Naif said recenty security forces would continue their campaign to track down all militants in the country. “We expect better cooperation from all members of society,” he said.
