RIYADH, Sept 3: A Saudi security man was killed and three others were wounded in clashes with suspected militants in the northern town of Buraidah, an official source said on Friday.

One of the injured security men was in critical condition. The clashes had started on Thursday evening in the town, about 340km northwest of Riyadh. The Dubai-based Al Arabia news channel said the gun battle continued into the early hours of Friday and security forces laid siege on one neighbourhood and a helicopter hovered over the site.

The newspaper Okaz said security patrols chased two wanted militants who opened fire from their vehicle, killing a security man and injuring three others. Security forces combed the area in search of the gunmen, it said.

Sources said that security agencies in Buraidah had been tipped about the movement of a car from a house in Al Khaleej quarter of Buraidah, carrying two women and two armed men.

Immediately, two patrols were dispatched to the area. However, before the patrols reached the place they came under heavy fire from another car resulting in the death of the security person.