Jiddah, Aug 11: Shooting erupted in the Saudi capital after a police patrol tried to stop a car, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement today. No one was injured and no arrests were immediately reported, according to the statement carried by the official news agency.
The statement did not say whether yesterday's shooting was believed linked to a crackdown on militants launched after May 12 suicide bombings in Riyadh, the capital, killed 26 people and nine attackers.
The ministry said a driver fled in his car when police tried to stop him along a main highway in Riyadh last night. Such traffic checks have become routine since May 12. The driver later stopped at a rest point on the highway where two other cars appeared. Several people emerged from the other cars and started shooting, the ministry said.
The ministry said investigations are underway to find out who were behind the shooting.
Saudi police have stepped up efforts to crush the networks of al-Qaeda - blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States as well as the May 12 Riyadh bombings - and other militant groups in the kingdom. More than 200 suspects have been arrested and more than a dozen killed in a series of high-profile police raids. The May 12 bombings also sparked unprecedented public discussion of the role of religion in Saudi society, with some daring to argue the strict form of Islam preached in the kingdom fostered intolerance and extremism and could inspire militants to violence. Bureau Report