Sources have confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that part of the terrorist group besieged in Dammam since Sunday, 4 September are members of the cell led by Al-Qaeda operative Saleh al-Oufi who was killed in a confrontation in Medina along with Mohammed Oweida, a member of Saudi's national karate team. Members of Al-Oufi's cell went into hiding in Medina as the conflict with security forces took place. As they discovered that their leader was under siege, they fled to Dammam, which had only witnessed one arrest in relation to terrorism mid 2004. Similar to the escape of Al-Awfi's group, in April 2004, three people fled a confrontation in Fayhaa in Riyadh by also following the desert road. They, however, lost their way and were seized by a branch of the Interior Ministry known as 'mujahideen patrol'. Violent clashes took place between the group and the security forces, killing one member of the forces as the group escaped. As well as their similar escape route, however, this terrorist group soon met the same fate as Al-Oufi's and the three escapees were later killed in a clash with security forces. Al-Oufi's group became exposed after the death of its leader who successfully avoided death for two years, demonstrating that he was the mastermind behind the group, especially considering that most of its members are young.