JEDDAH: After a two-day siege, a man wanted in connection with attacks on two police stations died during a gunfight with security officers on Monday morning in Taif, the Interior Ministry announced.

Mohammed Hizam Al-Malki, who died from his injuries during the standoff, had taken refuge in a mountainous area near the village of Thaqif in south Taif, said ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki.

Al-Malki was wanted for the attacks on Al-Qari and Haddad Bani Malik police stations which resulted in the martyrdom of two security officers, Sgt. Khalaf Al-Harthi and Said Dahibish Al-Harthi.

The attack on the Al-Qari station had taken place last week, where the assailants had hand grenades, homemade bombs and other weapons, while the attack on Bani Malik police station took place on Sunday.

Security officers on duty at the Bani Malik police station had seen two people trying to enter the car park at just after midnight on Saturday. “When the infiltrators realized they had been spotted, they opened fire with machine guns and fled in a getaway car,” said Al-Turki.

In the ensuing chase, the security officers managed to shoot their car’s tires, but they fled on foot into a mountainous area near Thaqif.

Al-Malki was tracked down, surrounded and urged to surrender but he refused to do so. Instead, he opened fire on the officers, who responded, resulting in his death.

Al-Turki thanked citizens in the area for assisting with the search operations.