Al Rabah was shot while trying to evade arrest

afpPublished: 14:19 June 23, 2013Gulf News

Riyadh: Saudi police shot dead a man who fled when they tried to arrest him for allegedly taking part in unrest in the Eastern Province last year, a report said on Sunday. Security forces tracked down Mursi Ali Ebrahim Al Rabah, “who was involved in criminal acts that targeted Saudi nationals and citizens of his village”, the official SPA news agency reported, quoting an interior ministry spokesman. The spokesman said police opened fire at Al Rabah, who figured on a list of 23 Shiites wanted in connection with unrest in the village of Al Awamiya, when he fled as they tried to arrest him.

He was wounded and died in hospital, the spokesman said. Al Rabah had “taken part in opening fire at citizens and members of the security forces, killing and wounding some,” said the spokesman, adding that authorities will continue to hunt down wanted suspects. It urged the remaining 10 suspects on the same list, to “quickly hand themselves over to security services,” adding that “this will be taken into account when looking into their cases.”

Thirteen suspects have been killed in shootouts during raids or have been arrested and are on trial. Shiite-dominated towns in the Eastern Province have witnessed sporadic violence. Residents complain of marginalisation in the country. There are an estimated two million Shiites in Saudi Arabia of around 27.5 million people. On Saturday, police said a young man was found dead in his car in Qatif, also in the Eastern Province, after unknown gunmen opened fire at patrolmen in the area, sparking a gunfight. The man was not immediately identified and it was not clear if his death was linked to the gunfight.