Manama: A Saudi man wanted for a series of terror crimes, including the killing of a security man, has been shot dead.
Abdullah Mirza Al Qallaf was spotted on Monday evening between the towns of Al Awamiyah and Al Qadeeh in the Eastern Province in a silver car carrying fake licence plates, and when security men tried to stop him, he refused to respond and fired at them, a Presidency of State Security official said.
According to protocol in such situations, the security officers shot him dead in order to neutralise the threat.
None of the officers or passer-by were injured in the exchange of fire, the official added.
A Kalashnikov sub-machine gun, a Glock handgun, machine guns, pistol and submachine rounds, anti-flash gear, an equipment holder, a military suit and face masks were found in his car.
The Presidency of State Security in its statement said that it would “continue to pursue criminal elements and anyone who plots to undermine the kingdom’s security through acts of terror.”
Saudi Arabia’s top officials have regularly stated the country’s commitment to combating terrorism under all its forms and manifestations, saying that they were the first to suffer from it and that the kingdom has been targeted since 1992 by more than 100 terrorist operations, including 18 carried out by elements with links to regional countries.
In 2016, Saudi Arabia said that it had thwarted 268 terrorist operations, including some that targeted other countries.
According to official statements, the fight against terrorism is a shared international responsibility that requires concerted efforts at all levels to confront it militarily and intellectually, financially, and in the media.
“This requires cooperation in accordance with the rules of international law and the principles upon which the United Nations was founded,” they said.
