Security forces stormed a walled compound where Islamic militants had been barricaded for days, killing 14 armed extremists, including top leaders in the Saudi branch of al-Qaida.

THE head of the American hostage murdered by militants last month has been found after a raid on the hideout of an al-Qaida leader in Saudi Arabia.

The head of American hostage Paul Johnson, who was kidnapped and beheaded in Saudi Arabia last month, was found today by security forces during a raid on a hideout that left two militants dead.

Saudi security forces killed two militants and wounded three others in a gunbattle in the Saudi capital Riyadh last night.