RIYADH, April 5: Saudi security forces shot dead a suspected militant and wounded another during a car chase in an eastern neighbourhood of Riyadh on Monday. "Security forces gave chase to a car carrying three suspected militants in the Al Rawdah neighbourhood and exchanged fire with the suspects. One of the gunmen was killed and another wounded," one witness said.

The fate of the third suspect was not immediately known. "The chase began around 6pm. Security patrols tried to stop the car at a crossroads in the district and an exchange of fire ensued," the witness said. Ambulances were seen in the area, but it was not known if there were casualties among the security personnel.

The witness said security forces cordoned off the part of the district where the gunbattle erupted and combed the area. Several terror suspects, as well as security personnel, have been killed in similar shootouts, particularly in the capital, since the attacks on residential compounds began.

In the previous incident on March 15, a Yemeni described as Al Qaeda's head of operations for Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf was killed in Riyadh. Khaled Ali bin Haj, who ranked third on the most-wanted list, was suspected of having ordered last year's Riyadh attacks, which have been blamed on Al Qaeda sympathizers. Two others on the most-wanted list have been killed in clashes with security forces while a third surrendered to authorities. -AFP