Two out of the four suspected militants who surrendered on Monday night after a 17-hour gun battle here were identified as Turki Al-Mutairi and Ghazi Al-Otaibi. The two men were among seven prisoners who escaped from a prison near Riyadh in July. An official source in the Interior Ministry said that the two arrested men are being questioned.Security forces came under gunfire on Monday as they attempted to storm and arrest the suspects in a residential building in JeddahÂ’s Al-Jamia district. The operation was considered a success as no one was killed or seriously injured in spite of a 17-hour exchange of gunfire in a highly populated area of Jeddah.
Faisal Al-Shamrani, who has lived in the area all his life, said: “Al-Jamia is the only district in Jeddah with three neighborhood ombudsmen (umdas). It is heavily populated and a person can easily hide in such a mixed district without being noticed.” Al-Shamrani added that the building targeted was unregistered at the local office of the umda. “We have more than 700 houses registered to both Saudis and non-Saudis.”
Meanwhile, three security cars still blocked roads leading to the building. Police officers were also seen standing around and would not allow journalists to enter the area or interview residents. Vehicles belonging to authorities could also be seen at the scene gathering evidence.