Riyadh — Police on Wednesday shot dead a militant on Saudi Arabia's most-wanted list, the second major terror suspect to die in the country in 24 hours, a Saudi security official said. Abdel-Rahman Saleh Abdel-Rahman al-Mutab, who was No. 4 on the list of the kingdom's 15 most-wanted suspects, was fatally shot north of Riyadh, the security official said. Police had been chasing Mr. al-Mutab since he escaped from the running gun battle in which fellow militant Mohammed Abdel-Rahman Mohammed al-Suwailmi, No. 7 on the most-wanted list, killed five policemen before being fatally wounded Tuesday, officials said. The deaths of the two militants brings to 10 the number of people on the most-wanted list who have been captured or killed. The list was issued in June.The latest clash began Tuesday when Mr. al-Suwailmi shot and killed two policemen in a drive-by attack outside the city of Buraydah, northwest of Riyadh, the Interior Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. He then sped 12 miles southwest and sprayed gunfire at a security checkpoint near the town of Al-Midhnab, killing three more officers, the agency said. Police chased the car and fired at it. Mr. al-Suwailmi was wounded, captured and died later of his wounds, the statement said.
The ministry said a second militant escaped by
Mr. al-Suwailmi, 23, was involved in recruitment and propaganda for Islamic militant groups, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya satellite television reported. It was not immediately clear whether he was directly linked with any specific attacks. Saudi officials reported in September that police killed Mr. al-Suwailmi along with four other militants in a gun battle in the eastern city of Dammam. But Mr. al-Suwailmi soon afterward released an audiotape on the Internet saying he was still alive, and Saudi authorities backed off the claims.