Saudi security forces killed the leader of the kingdom's al-Qaida group in a clash in the holy city of Medina yesterday, a security source said.

He said security forces had killed Saleh al-Awfi, who was believed to have taken over leadership of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia last year.

Awfi was one of the remaining fugitives on a list of most wanted militants waging a campaign of violence in the world's top oil exporter.

Saudi security forces battled suspected Muslim extremists across the country yesterday, killing four wanted militants in the capital.

The kingdom's Interior Ministry officials also said at least one suspected militant was arrested in Riyadh and an unspecified number were detained in Medina, west of the capital, where the country's new monarch, King Abdullah, was visiting.

Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said a firefight began in Riyadh after security forces launched an early morning raid on an apartment in al-Massef, a northern residential area of the capital.

"The police suspect that one or more of the wanted elements are in this place," al-Turki said.

It was unclear if he was talking about the government's list of 36 most wanted militants, sought in connection to terror attacks against the kingdom dating back to 2003.

Another security official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press, said that four militants were killed in the shootout, during which a hand grenade was thrown at the police but did not explode.

The nationalities of the slain militants and third who was arrested while trying to flee the scene were not immediately clear.

Police helicopters hovered overhead as security forces sealed off the area, preventing pedestrians or vehicles entering or leaving the scene.

After the clashes ended, police entered the apartment and found weapons and explosives inside, according to al-Turki.

Acting on a tip, police went to a location in Medina's Bahr District, about two kilometers from a mosque where Islam's Prophet Muhammad is buried, and arrested an unspecified number of suspects.

Al-Turki told the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya network that eight militants are suspected to be in different locations in Medina.

King Abdullah was visiting Medina to meet Muslim clerics and tribal leaders who were expected to pledge their allegiance to him, the official added.

(China Daily August 19, 2005)