DUBAI: A young Saudi man was killed during a raid by security forces in the restive town of Awamiya in the eastern part of the country, a local news website reported.
Saudi police denied any connection to the death of the young man and suggested it may be crime-linked.
The website www.rasid.com quoted witnesses as saying that dozens of security vehicles blocked the roads into Awamiya on Thursday while forces raided the homes of two wanted activists on a list published by the authorities in January 2012.
“Information circulating around indicated that security forces opened fire during the raid, after which the youth Ahmed Ali Al Muslab fell,” rasid said.
It quoted activists as saying that the youth was passing by the area of the raid when he was hit in the foot and back while trying to flee arrest. Activists had emailed what they said were photographs from the scene, showing walls and doors with bullet holes.
A spokesman for Saudi police in the eastern region said the central hospital in Qatif notified police shortly after mid-day on Thursday that a dead man with gunshot wounds had been brought in by his father.
The police said the father told police afterwards that two masked men on a motorbike had brought the body of his son and dumped it in front of the house and fled.
“Security authorities began investigating and searching for the suspects,” the police said.
At least 21 people have been shot dead in the region since early 2011, when Shias protested against the role of Saudi forces in ending demonstrations in Bahrain.
REUTERS
