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Saudi says chief of al-Qaeda killed

AFP, Riyadh
Saudi Arabia announced yesterday it had dealt a body blow to al-Qaeda gunmen who have terrorized Western residents of the kingdom, by killing their alleged chief Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin and three comrades as well as arresting 12 others.
The interior ministry said the four were shot dead by security forces in Riyadh on Friday night, shortly after "al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula" posted grisly photos on websites showing the beheading of American aeronautics engineer Paul Johnson. The victim's severed head was placed on his back.
The beheading, which sparked international outrage, climaxed a spate of fatal attacks against Westerners in Riyadh and other parts of the kingdom since early May.
"Abdul Aziz bin Issa al-Muqrin, who claimed to head the gang of takfeer (holding others as infidels) and bombings and issued statements (claiming responsibility) for assassinations and kidnappings" was one of four gunmen shot dead Friday night, said an interior ministry statement read on state television.
The four "were besieged in a gas station in the Al-Malaz district in Riyadh by security forces, and a heavy exchange of fire" ensued, it said.
The television showed photos of the bloodied dead bodies of Muqrin and the other slain militants.
The statement and footage came after a communique in the name of al-Qaeda was posted on an Islamist website denying that the network's Saudi chief had been killed.
"Following the lies... about the death of Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin, we affirm that such allegations, spread by the tyrants in Saudi Arabia, are intended to undermine the morale of the Mujahedeen on the Arabian peninsula," said the communique posted on the site http://alsaha.fares.net.
The statement, whose authenticity could not be ascertained, said another more detailed communique would be released.
Muqrin's death was first reported by security men at the scene of Friday night's gunbattle in the center of the Saudi capital.
The ministry identified the other slain gunmen as Faisal bin Abdul Rahman al-Dakheel, a militant on a top-wanted list who appeared in footage on websites showing the killing of an American resident.
It did not name the US national, but appeared to be referring to video footage of the killing of Robert Jacobs, a Riyadh resident who worked for the Vinnell Corp that helps train the Saudi National Guard.
The third was named as Turki bin Fuhaid al-Mutairi, one of three gunmen who escaped after a shooting and hostage-taking rampage that left 22 people dead in the eastern oil city of Al-Khobar last month.
The fourth was Ibrahim bin Abdullah al-Draihem, who help planned the bombing of a residential compound in Riyadh last November and committed "other crimes," the ministry said.
A security man was also killed in the clash and two were wounded, the interior ministry said.
Twelve militants suspected of involvement in the attacks on Westerners were arrested, but their names would not be divulged in the interest of the investigation, the ministry said.
The statement said security forces seized three cars, one of which was used in the June 6 shooting attack on a BBC crew in Riyadh that left an Irish cameraman dead and a British journalist critically wounded.
They also seized machine guns, pistols, ammunition, three rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 16 pipe bombs, 10 hand grenades, documents, a large number of CDs, in addition to 132,800 riyals (35,400 dollars) and another 2,900 dollars in US currency.
The death of Johnson, who worked with aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, triggered a wave
of anger and revulsion in the United States with officials from President George W. Bush down vowing to avenge it.
The killers are "trying to intimidate America. They're trying to shake our will. They're trying to get us to retreat from the world," Bush said in the northwestern US state of Washington.
"America will not retreat, America will not be intimidated by these kinds of extremist thugs," Bush vowed. "We must pursue these people and bring them to justice before they hurt other Americans."
A statement accompanying the Internet photos said Johnson had been beheaded by Mujahedeen guerrillas from the Fallujah Squad, a reference to the Iraqi city that has been a hotbed of resistance to the US occupation.
It said the group "slaughtered the American prisoner Paul Marshall Johnson after the ultimatum set by the Mujahedeen to the tyrants of the Saudi government expired."
The kidnappers had given the Saudi government a 72-hour ultimatum to release hundreds of militants detained here.
Websites carried three pictures of the beheaded captive. One showed him in a pool of blood, head placed on his back, another showed the head on the back with a knife resting against the forehead, point first.
The body was found Friday in a remote area of Riyadh, Adel al-Jubeir, diplomatic adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah bin Abdul Aziz, said in Washington.
Since Johnson's abduction last Saturday -- the same day another US national was killed in the Saudi capital -- Washington and Riyadh had steadfastly insisted they would strike no deal with the hostagetakers.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry had stern words for the Saudis as he denounced the beheading as "a grotesque act."
"It is essential that we have the full cooperation of the Saudi government in tracking down these terrorists and destroying al-Qaeda. This must be our nations highest priority," Kerry said.