Saudi security forces early yesterday shot dead five suspected terrorists and arrested a sixth in raids in Riyadh conducted in pursuit of those responsible for the weekend attack on the huge oil processing complex in eastern Saudi Arabia, the Interior Ministry said.
"We think all the men involved had something to do with Abqaiq attempt," Lieutenant General Mansour al-Turki, chief spokesman for the ministry, said referring to Friday's attempt by suicide bombers to detonate car bombs inside the world's biggest oil stabilization plant.
Al-Turki said that in two simultaneous operations, security forces raided two houses in eastern Riyadh -- one in the Yarmouk district -- that had been under surveillance.
Five suspects were shot dead in the Yarmouk house, and a sixth man was detained in the second house. The security forces suffered no casualties, al-Turki said.
"After an intense shootout, the security forces managed to kill all the five terrorists in a short time," the Interior Ministry said in a statement, which described the Yarmouk house as a "den of aggression."
"The shootout is over now," al-Turki said. "We will interrogate the arrested man."
Earlier yesterday, the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television quoted Saudi security sources as saying the forces exchanged fire with the suspected terrorists for about two hours.
Police said they confiscated weapons and ammunition from the house in the suburb where the suspects had been holed up, the Dubai-based channel reported.
Friday's attack, the first ever on Saudi Arabia's vital oil infrastructure, was claimed by the Saudi branch of al-Qaeda in an Internet posting. Two suicide bombers were killed in the attack, which was foiled when security guards fired at their vehicles outside the gates to Abqaiq, which processes about two-thirds of the country's oil before it is exported. The guards died of their wounds.
The Interior Ministry identified the two assailants on Sunday as Abdullah Abdul-Aziz al-Tweijri and Mohammed Saleh al-Gheith, and said both were on a list of the 15 most-wanted terrorists the kingdom issued in June.
The deaths of the two meant that only four remain at large of the list of 15.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned