Saudi security forces have arrested a man wanted in connection with the unrest in the Kingdom's eastern province after a gunfight in Awamiya near Qatif.
Hussain Hasan Ali Al-Rabea, whose name figured on a list of 23 wanted men over the Awamiya riots, was captured after he and his followers exchanged fire with security forces, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said on Monday.
"The arrest happened while the suspect was selling a large amount of narcotics in Awamiya," Turki said and added that the suspect suffered some minor injures to his legs and was admitted to a nearby hospital.
He faces charges of instigating unrest in the Eastern province and peddling huge quantities of narcotics in the area. Rabea was fourth in a list of 23 wanted men announced by the Interior Ministry in connection with the Shia-led unrest in the oil-producing eastern region of the Kingdom, Arab media reports said.
The Interior Ministry reiterated its rejection and condemnation of terrorism, regardless of its source, motivations or objectives. The Kingdom actively commits to and implements resolutions issued by the U.N. Security Council with regard to combating terrorism.
Saudi officials have also accused the wanted men of serving the agenda of a foreign power or teachings of deviant groups, which Riyadh sees as fomenting sectarian unrest and hatching terror plots to destabilize the region.
"We have evidence of a relationship with somebody else abroad," Turki told a news conference earlier. "We still need to investigate what kind of relationship and how strong the relationship is. That is what we want these people for, he added.
The terror group is accused mainly of possessing illegal firearms and opening fire on the public and police in addition to using innocent people as shields. They indulge in unauthorized assembly, block traffic, and damage public and private property during sporadic confrontations between police and protesters, the Interior Ministry said.
by RTT Staff Writer
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