Saudi al-Qaida leader killed

SECURITY forces killed al-Qaida’s leader in Saudi Arabia, who topped the nation’s list of most-wanted militants, during a fierce gunbattle yesterday, an interior ministry official said.

Younis Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hayari, a Moroccan, was killed during a dawn raid by security forces on an area in the capital where suspected militants were hiding, the official was quoted as saying.

Three other unidentified suspects were arrested, and weapons, ammunition, computers and documents were seized, he said.