May 8, 2003	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1424

RIYADH, May 7: Saudi police are hunting for a score of militants believed to be holed up in a densely populated district of the capital after a shootout with security forces, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

Searches of the gunmen’s hideout and their getaway car netted a huge cache of arms, including 55 hand grenades, 377kgs of explosive, and 2,545 bullets of different calibres, as well as cash and disguises, the ministry said.

“The security services seized a large stash of weapons, explosives and munitions in Riyadh Tuesday which were intended to carry out acts of terrorism,” said a ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

The ministry said it was seeking “19 terrorists, 17 of them Saudis”, but added that it expected to add other names to the wanted list later.

The two non-Saudis being sought immediately were a Yemeni and an Iraqi with joint Kuwaiti-Canadian nationality.

The ministry called on the general public to ring the nearest police station if they had any information which could lead to the suspects’ arrest and warned anyone against giving them refuge.

The shootout erupted on Tuesday as police were searching for those responsible for a March 18 bomb attack which killed one person. The gunmen’s getaway car broke down but they were able to steal another vehicle and disappear.

Police discovered “55 hand grenades, 295 bullets, seven empty magazines, travel documents, identity cards and 72,957 dollars cash” in the car.—AFP