Six al Qaeda-linked activists and one policeman were killed in a shootout in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Friday, Saudi officials and media said. "The operation has ended now ... Six armed elements died and a seventh was wounded and arrested," Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television's correspondent reported.
The shootout occurred in a western district of the capital.
An Interior Ministry statement said the seven were linked to the "deviant group" -- a label used by authorities to describe supporters of al Qaeda network.
"One security man was martyred in the incident and there were some injuries among the ranks of security forces," the statement said, adding that the forces had faced strong resistance from the al Qaeda men.
The television quoted security sources as saying the operatives were on the verge of launching unspecified attacks when security forces hit their hideout.
