The Interior Ministry revealed it has insufficient evidence to verify the number of Saudis killed in conflict zones.

The ministry said the number of Saudis who have gone to such zones during the past four years stood at 2,284, of which 645 returned to the Kingdom.

Spokesman Brig. Mansour Al-Turki told a local newspaper that the Interior Ministry closely follows up reports in this regard, or any news circulating about deaths of Saudis in countries of conflict.

“But we do not have sufficient evidence on whether such news is correct or not,” he said.

The statements came in the backdrop of reports that a Saudi student on scholarship, Mohammad bin Abdullah bin Saad Al-Noufal, died in Syria.

Sources close to the family told local media that Mohammad, who was on scholarship in the US to study electrical engineering, was married with a 10-month-old child, and the student chose to join extremist groups in Syria about 10 months ago.

The sources said his older brother, Abu Hamza, received a phone call notifying the family of Mohammad’s death.

Terrorist and extremist groups usually notify the parents of a person, involved in a suicide operation, of his death immediately after the operation, without giving many details.