| S. Arabian police arrest cleric after shootout |
JEDDAH A prominent Muslim cleric was arrested in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province on late on Sunday after being shot in the leg by police in an exchange of fire, the Interior Ministry said.
Reports that Sheikh Nimr Al Nimr had been arrested prompted demonstrations in the Qatif region which has been the focal point of protests alleging discrimination, and where the cleric was seen as a leading radical.
“When the cleric and those with him tried to resist the security men and initiated shooting and crashed into one of the security patrols while trying to escape, he was dealt with in accordance with the situation and responded to in kind and arrested after he was wounded in his thigh,” the state news agency reported, citing an Interior Ministry spokesman. The spokesman said Nimr had been taken to hospital. He was accused of sedition.
Tawfiq Al Seif, a leader, said reports of the arrest had sparked protests in the village of Awamiya, which is located in the Qatif district.
Activists from the eastern province posted pictures on the Internet of a grey-bearded man they identified as Nimr inside a vehicle. He was covered with what appeared to be a blood-stained white blanket.
Sheikh Nimr’s brother said the cleric was detained by police while driving from a farm to his house in Al Qatif. “They (police) took him from his car and blood can be seen near his car,” said his brother Mohammed Al Nimr.
Agencies
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