Saudi official says two extremists killed inside car in Shiite town Qatif

Riyadh: A spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry says security forces have fired at a car, setting it on fire, and killing two extremists inside in a restive town in the country’s eastern province.

Major General Mansour al-Turki said in a statement early Friday that security forces in the heavily Shiites populated town of Qatif spotted a stolen car on Thursday evening and found inside it weapons and remains of munition that caused the explosion.

The incident was reported late Thursday by state-linked Saudi media showing a car engulfed in fire and thick plumes of black smoke.

Violence between Shiite militants and security forces there has increased in recent weeks, with several incidents of militants firing rocket-propelled grenades at police. The Islamic State has previously launched attacks on Shiites in Qatif.