Soldier dies in Taif shootout as terror plot foiled

Riyadh — A soldier was killed in a shootout early Sunday with suspects planning a terrorist attack, the Interior Ministry said, in the latest such incident this week in the Kingdom’s west. The two gunmen were trying to infiltrate a police station parking area in Taif to carry out a terrorist act, the ministry said in a statement. As they realized that they were being monitored, the men opened machine-gun fire at police and fled in a waiting vehicle. Chased by security forces, they abandoned the vehicle and fled into a residential area, the statement said. An exchange of fire left soldier Saeed Al-Harithi dead, it said. Security forces surrounded the area and were searching for the suspects, it said, adding that a suicide vest and nine improvised explosives were found. The past week has seen a rise in such incidents in the Kingdom. On Thursday, a Saudi police officer was shot dead after four suspected terrorists died during a raid in the area between Taif and Makkah. Two other terror suspects were killed and a third was wounded in southwestern Bisha last Sunday. — Agencies