Al-Qaeda Leader Killed

Saudi security forces have confirmed that a Yemeni militant killed in a shootout on Monday was an Al-Qaeda leader for Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf. "Yemeni Khaled Ali bin Haj, who was killed in Riyadh, was responsible for Al-Qaeda operations in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region," one source was quoted as saying.

"He is suspected of having ordered the attacks in Riyadh" which killed 52 people in May and November 2003, another source said.

Saudi's interior ministry confirmed earlier Tuesday that Haj was killed along with Saudi Ibrahim bin Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al-Mazini when police shot back at them after they had opened fire on securitymen when ordered to stop the jeep they were travelling in.