QATIF — Two security officers and two wanted men they were trying to arrest were killed in a gunfight in the eastern town of Al-Awamiya, authorities said on Thursday. An Interior Ministry spokesman said security forces came under fire while trying to arrest “a number of armed troublemakers” who had previously fired on residents and security forces in Awamiya in the Qatif governorate, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). It said the security forces responded to the source of shooting in accordance with standing rules. “As a result of the exchange of fire, the wanted men Ali Ahmed Al-Faraj and Hussein Ali Madan Al-Faraj were killed,” SPA said, adding that two security men had also died and two more were wounded. It said two pieces of weapons, a bullet-proof vest, a pair of binoculars used by snipers and a large amount of ammunition were found at the scene. Meanwhile, a security spokesman for the Interior Ministry said police had detained a Saudi arms dealer in Qatif on Feb. 1 following a tip-off. The man was arrested along with three other Saudis who were making a deal with him. Forty-seven pistols, a rifle and a submachine gun were found in their possession. Preliminary investigations revealed that the men had connections with the Awamiya rioters, SPA said.
