JEDDAH, 17 April 2007 — A police sergeant was killed yesterday while patrolling the area close to a rest house where a senior police officer was found dead on Saturday.
The incident occurred around 11.30 a.m in Al-Qusaiah, west of Buraidah in the Qasim region.
“A police officer was killed in an accidental shot fired from a police gun,” said Maj. Fahd Al-Habdan, official spokesman for the Qasim police. He added that the authorities are investigating the circumstances that led to the officer’s death.
Unofficial sources identified the officer as Sgt. Abdullah Al-Zahrani. Interior Ministry officials have not yet commented on the incident.
The officer was patrolling close to the rest house where the decapitated body of Col. Nasser Al-Othmani was found buried on Saturday. Police have cordoned off the area around the rest house.
Analysts said the circumstances surrounding Al-Othmani’s death carry the hallmark of terrorism. Police have launched a manhunt for the killers, who are believed to be members of a deviant group.
