RIYADH — Two terrorists were killed and three others arrested during four simultaneous security operations in Riyadh and Dammam on Sunday, Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, security spokesman at the Ministry of Interior, announced on Monday. The ministry confirmed that the cell was linked to Yousaf Al-Suleiman, the suicide bomber who blew himself up at the mosque in the compound of the Special Emergency Forces Center in Abha that killed 15 people, including 12 soldiers, on Aug. 6. Al-Turki said that the cell had been planning to carry out terrorist attack in the Kingdom and preparations were in an advanced stage. The security forces carried out raids on three hideouts in Riyadh and one in Dammam. Abdul Aziz Bin Zaid Al-Shamri, a wanted terrorist, was killed in a security operation at a house in Badr district in Dammam. He was killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces. Two terror suspects — Muhannid Bin Muhammad Al-Otaibi and Fahd Bin Falah Al-Harbi — were arrested from the hideout. Aqeel Bin Omaish Al-Mutairi, who was on the list of 85 wanted terrorists published by the ministry earlier, was killed in a raid on a residential apartment in Al-Falah district in Riyadh. He fired at the security forces and in the ensuing exchange of gunfire Al-Mutairi was killed. Several years ago, Al-Mutairi was brought back to the Kingdom from Iraq and was under detention for three years. He was released after undergoing ministry's counseling and rehabilitation program. He then traveled to Yemen and later infiltrated into the Kingdom to carry out the planned attack. During the third operation at a residential villa in Al-Andalus district, wanted terrorist Faisal Bin Hamid Al-Ghamdi surrendered. The security forces also raided a residential annex in Al-Sulai district, which was a hideout for cell members. It was found that the annex was a fortified facility inside a residential building. Al-Turki said the arrested terrorist Al-Harbi rented the house in Riyadh's Monasiyah district from where the security officials arrested two terror suspects on Sept. 17. The suspects — Ahmed Saeed Jabir Al-Zahrani, 21, and Mohammed Saeed Jabir Al-Zahrani, 19 — were arrested following a gun battle during which the suspects threw a grenade at the officers. In a similar operation carried out at that time, the security officials raided a rest house in Darma region, about 60 km west of Riyadh. It was found that the rest house was turned into a hideout to make explosives.
From the hideout, the officers seized huge cache of weapons and money, including three machine guns, 36 bullet magazine holders, 2,848 rounds of machine gun ammunition, three handguns, 10 handgun magazines, five grenades, currencies amounting to SR402,101 and $5,500, in addition to mobile phones and laptops. The arrest of the two suspects led to further investigation that resulted in Sunday's raid, Al-Turki added.
