Wanted man blows himself up during arrest in Saudi Arabia

Gulf Today Report

The official spokesman for the Presidency of State Security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stated that a wanted man blew himself up with an explosive belt he was wearing when conducting arrest procedures.

He was one of nine men wanted for the deadly 2015 blast that killed 15 people — mostly police — near the Yemen border.

"When the procedures for his arrest were initiated, he blew himself up with an explosive belt, which resulted in his death and the injury of a resident and three security men," said a Presidency of State Security statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Al-Shehri, 39, was number four on a list of nine suspects in the 2015 blast, one of Saudi Arabia's deadliest attacks in years. Number five was arrested in May 2016.

The targeted mosque was frequented by members of a police special weapons and tactics unit in the southern city of Abha. The attack was claimed by the Daesh group.

In a statement, he said, “The competent authority at the Presidency of State Security managed, through a security operation, to track down the wanted No. (4) of that list / Abdullah Bin Zayed Abdul Rahman Al-Bakri Al-Shehri, and his presence was monitored at (10:00) last Wednesday evening in the Al-Samer neighborhood in Jeddah.

The security men sustained various injuries and were taken to the hospital to receive the necessary treatment.”

He added, “The Presidency of State Security, when announcing this, confirms that it will continue with determination, and firmness in confronting everyone who is tempted to prejudice the security and stability of this country and the safety of citizens and residents on its lands, and will not be immune from the grip of the security men, God willing, to obtain his deterrent punishment. God and the Pacific to either way."