Saudi policeman killed in Eastern Province

Masked armed men have shot dead a police officer in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, marking the latest in a spate of attacks across the troubled region this year.

In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Wednesday, the provincial police said the officer, who was shot in a drive-by shooting in the predominantly Shia town of Qatif, succumbed to his wounds on the way to hospital early on Tuesday.

"The police building and a patrol car were damaged” in the attack, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Interior Ministry said an investigation was launched into the attack.

The incident was the fourth fatal shooting of a policeman in Qatif since January.

Qatif was among locations targeted in three coordinated bomb attacks throughout Saudi Arabia on July 4. The bombings were blamed on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

SS