Security forces killed the leader of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia in a gun battle in the holy city of Medina just hours before a visit by newly crowned King Abdullah. An Interior Ministry statement said security forces had also killed three other militants and arrested at least 10 in a series of raids in Riyadh and Medina.
Saleh al-Awfi, believed to have taken over the leadership of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia last year, was one of a few fugitives remaining on a list of most wanted militants in the world's top oil producer.
His death would deal a further blow to militants loyal to Osama bin Laden, who analysts say, have been weakened by a two-year government campaign against the al Qaeda network in Saudi Arabia.
State television said Awfi and another militant had been hiding in a residential area. Earlier, security forces killed two wanted gunmen and captured another during a raid on a house in a northern district of Riyadh.
Al QAEDA WEAKENED Saudi analyst Fares Houzam said militants in the kingdom had been dealt a big blow.
"Awfi was al Qaeda's main leader in the west of the country," he told Reuters. "The speed at which the militants have been captured and killed of late shows how poorly trained they are."
Analysts said the accession of Abdullah, a pious figure popular with his conservative Muslim subjects, could increase public support for the battle against al Qaeda which depends on the sympathy of ordinary Saudis as much as weapons.
Saudi authorities believe Awfi took over the leadership of al Qaeda in the kingdom after security forces killed Abdulaziz al-Muqrin in June last year.
In a letter posted on the Internet earlier this year, Awfi vowed to send a steady stream of fighters into Iraq to join insurgents battling US forces there.
The death of Awfi would mean the authorities have killed or captured all but two men on a list of 26 most wanted suspects published in 2003. In June, officials listed another 36 wanted men they are still hunting.
It was not clear if the other men shot and captured on Thursday were on the lists.