RIYADH, Nov 25: Saudi police foiled a car bomb attack in Riyadh on Tuesday, killing two suspected militants in a shootout.

An interior ministry said the shootout occurred in the capital around midday as the “terror operation...was about to be carried out”.

The two dead had yet to be identified and police were seeking their accomplices, the official said.

The shootout came as Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority urged Muslims to reject extremism and rally behind Saudi rulers battling a tide of militancy.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al Sheikh told worshippers in Riyadh that suspected Al Qaeda bombers who killed at least 18 people in the city two weeks ago threatened the cohesion of Saudi Arabia.

“Today we are in dire need of unifying our ranks and voices and supporting our leadership against those who threaten our religion, security, resources and stability,” he said at Eid prayers.—Reuters