14 Injured in Riots in Saudi Arabia

Riots in an Saudi Arabia Eastern Province town on Monday night that injured 14 people including 11 security officers were instigated by a foreign power, an Interior Ministry official said late last night. A Saudi official source at the Ministry of Interior said late Tuesday night that at nine p.m. on Monday, "a group of instigators of sedition, discord and unrest gathered near Al-Reef Roundabout in Awamiyah Town, Qatif Governorate; some of them, on motorcycles, were carrying Molotov bombs. They started their disturbing acts against the Public peace at the behest of a foreign country seeking to undermine the security and stability of the homeland in blatant interference in national sovereignty". The official Saudi Press Agency "SPA" quoted the source as saying, "Such instigation was accepted by some weak-minded people who thought their actions will pass without a firm stand against whoever surrenders his will to the instructions and orders of foreign entities that seek to extend an influence outside their narrow circle. Those people have to clearly decide whether their loyalty is to Allah and their homeland or to that State and its authority". The security forces dealt with those people on site. After having been dispersed, security men encountered automatic weapon fire from a nearby neighborhood, injuring 11 security men, nine of whom were injured by weapon fire and two by Molotov bomb attacks, the source added. A man and two women in a nearby building were also injured by arms'' fire. All injured were hospitalized. In announcing this incident, the Ministry of Interior affirms that it will not tolerate any breach of the stability and security of the country and its citizens.