The Saudi Arabian security forces killed four men on Sunday and foiled an attack on a Saudi security services base north of the capital Riyadh. The Islamic State (IS) accepted the responsibility of that attack. According to the Saudi media, a group of militants tried to storm the building in the Zulfi province north of Riyadh in the Sunday morning. Three officials of police were wounded in the gun battle.
The Saudi authorities have launched an investigation to identify the assailants as well as the type of ‘explosive material’ they had in their possession, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Earlier the London-based Arabic language daily Asharq al Awsat newspaper reported that the attack targeted state security forces in the town of Zulfi, 260 kilometers north of the capital.
It said the attackers had rammed a vehicle into a security barrier around the base in an attempt to gain entry. Two gunmen then stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire, sparking a gun battle with police, who killed them, the paper reported. A third was gunned down as he attempted to flee while a fourth died as he tried to set off an explosive belt, the paper said.
The IS has become active in the kingdom in recent years. Al-Qaida led by Osama bin Laden was use to attack the government installations and security forces. The Saudi Arabian government launched several security operations against Al-Qaida and dismantles its network in the kingdom. Hundreds of suspected militants were sentenced in the prisons. Now IS trying to gain its ground in the kingdom. It has also seen clashes between militants and security forces in the eastern provinces.
On April 7, two men armed with explosives were killed and two others arrested as they attacked a security checkpoint in eastern Saudi Arabia, which has seen years of demonstrations against the royal family.
It seems that new groups are trying to organise themselves to launch terrorist attacks in the kingdom. Two attacks have occurred in the month of April so far. The Eastern provinces are the centres of anti-government activities.
