Saudi Police Nab Wanted Activist after Gunfight

Saudi police arrested an activist wanted on security-related charges after a gunfight in the kingdom's Eastern province, scene to sporadic protests since early 2011, the interior ministry said.

Abdullah al-Asreeh, one of 23 activists on a wanted list for allegedly fomenting trouble in the eastern region, was arrested along with an unarmed man who faces charges of selling drugs and alcohol, the ministry said late Monday.

Police exchanged fire with the two men in the village of Awamiya, wounding them in legs before they were captured, interior ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.