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An examination of damage to an Israeli-owned cargo ship currently docked in Dubai indicates an explosion that hit it in the Gulf of Oman was caused by mines covertly attached to the ship, according to a Sunday TV report. Channel 13 news did not cite sources for the report, which contradicted earlier reported assessments in Israel that that blast was caused by missiles. An Israeli team is believed to be in Dubai to examine the ship following the suspected attack. The ship is undergoing repairs in Dubai. Limpet mines are a type of naval explosive that attach to targets using...

Bride’s family protests dance by groom’s relatives during weddingA wedding in Saudi Arabia quickly snowballed into a scuffle between the families of the groom and his bride after relatives and friends of the groom infuriated their opponents by performing the famous ‘penguin dance’, a newspaper said on Sunday. Relatives and guests began to pour into the massive wedding hall in the eastern Saudi town of Dammam when a heated argument erupted before it led to a scuffle between the relatives of the groom and his bride. Friends and other guests intervened and managed to end the fight that threatened to...

SNIPPET: "Gufran Ahmed Kauser Mohammed, 30, and Mohamed Hussein Said, 25, face an indictment charging them with conspiring to provide and attempting to provide material support to three U.S.-designated terrorist organizations that have operated in Iraq, Syria and Somalia, according to authorities." SNIPPET: "The defendants, while based overseas in 2011-13, allegedly sent thousands of dollars via Western Union to an al-Qaida terrorist affiliate, al-Nusrah Front, which is fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. They also allegedly sent funds to al-Shabaab, another terrorist group seeking to overthrow the U.S.-backed transitional government in Somalia."

DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia - Saudi security forces battled heavily armed suspected al-Qaida members holed up in a sea-front apartment building Monday, a day after two militants - one of them the kingdom's No. 3 most-wanted terrorist - died in the fighting. Zaid Saad Zaid al-Samari, a 31-year-old Saudi, was killed Sunday in Dammam, a security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give information to the media. A police officer also was killed Sunday. An unknown number of militants fled Sunday to a white two-story building near Dammam's commercial district, which police surrounded on...

Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat- Security sources believe that the individual killed in the first security clash in Prince Muhammad Bin-Fahd Street in Al-Dammam, east of Saudi Arabia, yesterday could be the No. 7 on the most recent list of the 36 wanted terrorist. the individual in question is believed to be 23 years old Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman al-Suwaylimi from Riyadh, adding that he was given tasks related to the internet since he was considered an expert in computer technology and the Internet in particular. The sources noted that the cell of which the person believed to be Al-Suwaylimi was a member had...

The U.S. Consulate General in Dhahran has been temporarily closed to the public due to an ongoing security operation by the Saudi authorities in nearby Dammam, the consulate said on its Web site. The consulate said the closure was "in response to an ongoing standoff between Saudi security forces and an unknown number of terrorists in Dammam." It added that U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. "U.S. citizens are further advised to exercise caution and maintain good situational awareness when visiting commercial establishments frequented by...

By Abderazaq Al-Hzami RIYADH, Sept 5 (KUNA) -- The clashes between security forces and militants in Dammam, East Saudi Arabia are still ongoing, official spokesman for the Saudi interior ministry Major General Mansour Al-Turki stated Monday. The spokesman told KUNA the number of the militants involved in the ongoing clashes is yet to be known and security forces are targeting several spots where they are holed up. He said the Interior Ministry would issue a statement that provides the details on this incident once the confrontations that started yesterday afternoon are stopped. Saudi security had yesterday detected members of an...

JEDDAH/DAMMAM, 7 September 2005 — Saudi security forces stormed a major Al-Qaeda hide-out in the eastern city of Damman yesterday, killing all terrorists inside. Four security men were also killed in the operation. In a brief statement, the Interior Ministry said security forces had “ended their operations,” which began Sunday in the main city of Eastern Province, losing four men, in addition to 10 wounded. Police are purging the site (of the siege) where “charred remains” were found, the ministry said without giving the number of suspected militants killed. The reference to “charred remains” suggested some of the militants had...

Riyadh, 6 Sept. (AKI) - Saudi security forces have stormed a building in the eastern city of Dammam, where militants had been holed up since Sunday, bringing to an end a three day stand-off which has left at least eight dead. There was no initial confirmation of whether the terror suspects inside the hideout were killed or not, but security officials said the building is now under their control. The stand-off began on Sunday when a gunman being tracked by members of the security forces opened fire on them near a supermarket, sparking a gunbattle which left two militants and...

DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia (AP) - In a barrage of gunfire and explosions, Saudi special forces overran a seaside villa Tuesday where Islamic militants had been holed up, ending three days of heavy fighting that killed at least nine people. Security forces that swept into the building in the eastern city of Dammam found several charred bodies, apparently those of militants killed in explosions - suggesting the death toll from the fighting would rise. It was the fiercest clash in months in the kingdom's two-year crackdown on al-Qaida-linked militants. Officials in the conservative, oil-rich nation - a key U.S. ally -...

Islamic militants battled Saudi security forces for a third day Tuesday in a seafront district of the eastern city of Dammam, with three extremists and two policemen reportedly dead. The deaths bring the number of suspected al-Qaeda militants killed to five, in the fighting that began on Sunday. A policeman also died in earlier clashes. Armed forces continued to surround the building where a number of militants were surrounded which was partially destroyed in heavy bombing as arguments raged between the men inside, some of whom wanted to surrender and were subsequently shot by their companions. Sources told Asharq al...