A shoot-out in Saudi Arabia left one suspected Al-Qa’ida operative dead while a second was taken into custody. The shooting took place at a checkpoint in central Saudi Arabia on Saturday when a couple, which appeared to be a man and a woman but were revealed later to be both men, began to shoot at the police. The Saudi police returned fire, killing one of the suspects.
After the incident Saudi officials stated that despite this event they believe that they are making good headway into the prevention of Al-Qa’ida operations in the kingdom. In recent months the Saudis have arrested about 150 members of Al-Qa’ida, making what officials believe is a large dent in Al-Qa’ida’s ability to function there.