British journalist killed in Saudi Arabia

Riyadh - A British cameraman has been shot dead in the Saudi capital Riyadh, security and diplomatic sources say.

Another British man who was wounded in the incident was also a journalist, Saudi sources said.

They said the man was shot in the Suweidi district of the capital on Sunday.

"Two British nationals were shot by unknown elements in a working-class district of Riyadh at 5:40 pm (1440 GMT) Sunday. One was killed and the other wounded," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

There were unconfirmed reports that the two journalists were working for the BBC.

The attack came a week after al-Qaida guerrillas killed 22 foreigners in a shooting and hostage-taking spree in the eastern oil city of Khobar. The attack helped push world oil prices to record highs before producers pledged to raise output.

Suweidi is a slum area where security forces have arrested many suspected armed dissidents in a crackdown in recent months.

"We are checking if he is British," another diplomatic source said. A security source said the assailant had fled.

Authorities are still hunting for three men who carried out the Khobar attack and managed to escape.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has been battling members of Saudi-born Usama bin Ladin's network for over a year.

Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Sunday that anti-government forces were going after soft, random targets.

He called on foreign governments to hand over Saudi dissidents abroad with alleged links to the violence that has rocked the kingdom.

Fifty people were killed in Riyadh last year in a string of bombings blamed on al-Qaida. Security forces have killed or arrested at least eight on a list of 26 wanted dissidents. -- Al Jazeera

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News