A FORGED Bahraini smart card has been found on one of the two terrorists killed in a security operation in the Qatif region, it was revealed.
Fresh details have now emerged of the terrorist attack that targeted a security checkpoint in Abu Hadriyah in the Eastern Province on Sunday.
Two Saudis were killed and two others arrested in the “pre-emptive” operation after the four attacked the checkpoint with guns and explosives as they tried to flee the country.
Three of the four attackers featured on the list of wanted terrorists in Qatif, according to Saudi authorities who seized a large haul of weapons and also a forged ID bearing a photograph of one of the attackers who was killed.
A Saudi State Security Presidency spokesman revealed that terrorist Majed Al Faraj was carrying a forged Bahraini smart card bearing his photograph but a fake name, Hussain Al Hadad.
The spokesman also confirmed that a Bahraini woman was wounded in the crossfire between security forces and the terrorists.
“A woman with Bahraini nationality, who was at the petrol station with her family, and a Pakistani driver of a tanker truck were injured in the shootout along with two security personnel,” he said, adding all four were undergoing treatment.
Giving details, he said security forces spotted four wanted individuals in the Eastern Province travelling in an SUV towards Abu Hadriyah which connects the region with Bahrain and Kuwait.
When intercepted, the terrorists opened fire and fled to a nearby petrol station hurling a hand grenade and damaging it.
They then boarded an oil tanker at gunpoint, injuring the Pakistani driver in the process.
They drove the truck for two kilometres to another petrol station before they were confronted by security forces.
Al Faraj and Mahmoud Al Zar’a, both Saudis wanted for crimes, were killed and two others, whose identities were not disclosed, were arrested.
The spokesman said all the four attackers had prior convictions and were associated with a number of terrorist cases in Qatif, including shooting citizens, residents and security personnel, attacking and destroying public facilities, disrupting public life, armed robbery, kidnapping and rape and the promotion and trafficking of illegal drugs.
From the SUV police seized an AK-47 assault rifle, two pistols, seven machine-gun magazines, one pistol magazine, two highly explosive bombs, one sound bomb, cash of 66,178 Saudi riyals, 126 submachine gun bullets and 15 pistol bullets.
When contacted by the GDN, the Bahrain Embassy in Riyadh would not make any official comment on the case.
However, Ambassador Shaikh Humood bin Abdullah Al Khalifa in a series of tweets yesterday condemned the terrorist act and praised the action by Saudi security forces.
“Gulf and Arab security cannot be divided and confronting all forms of terrorism-related challenges requires determination and dedication,” he said.
“The counter-terrorism journey won’t stop as long as there is terrorism that threatens the country, people, region and the world.”
The Information and eGovernment Authority also did not respond to a GDN query on the forged ID card.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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