Saudi policeman gunned down in Eastern Province

An unidentified assailant has shot and killed a police officer in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, the Saudi Interior Ministry says.

The ministry said in a statement that the attack took place at 1:45 a.m. local time on Saturday (2245 GMT Friday) in the city of Saihat, which lies on the east coast of Saudi Arabia and is 81 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of the capital, Riyadh.

The ministry identified the slain policeman as Officer Faisal al-Hardi, the driver of a police car, condemning the shooting as a “terrorist act.”

It further said that Saudi authorities have launched a search operation to hunt down the attacker.

SS