Ammo-packed car explodes in Saudi Arabia’s restive east

By Ahmed al-Masry

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - Two people were killed when a car packed with arms and ammunition exploded in Saudi Arabia’s eastern Qatif province, the Saudi Interior Ministry said Friday.

The official Saudi Press Agency quoted ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki as saying that local authorities had detected the suspicious vehicle in Qatif on Thursday evening.

The vehicle, he said, had been reported stolen five months earlier and had since been used in “terrorist and criminal” activities.

According to al-Turki, the vehicle caught fire and blew up after being intercepted by local security forces, immediately killing two unidentified passengers.

No civilians or security personnel were reportedly hurt in the incident.

The vehicle blew up, the spokesman said, because it was carrying smuggled firearms and ammunition.

The Saudi authorities have since launched an investigation into the incident, exact details of which remain vague.

It was the fourth violent incident to occur in Qatif province in less than a month and the second within the last three days.

Saudi Arabia’s Shia-majority Eastern Region, especially the provinces of Qatif and Dammam, has recently seen a spate of attacks on local security personnel.