2 al-Qaida Suspects Die in Mecca Shootout
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP)--Police clashed with suspected al-Qaida sympathizers in the streets of the sacred city of Mecca on Monday, killing two militants and uncovering a cache of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, grenades and bomb-making materials.
A cache of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, grenades and bomb-making materials, as well as passports, identity cards and pamphlets were found in militants' hide-outs, the security official said. Some of the fliers bore pictures of Saudi-born bin Laden, al-Qaida's chief.
As a result, the security official in Mecca said, Saudi police will increase security in Mecca, particularly during the last 10 days of the fasting month of Ramadan, which would fall in late November.
During Ramada, some 2 million Muslims are expected to perform the ``omra,'' or minor pilgrimage, to the city, birthplace of Islam's 7th-century prophet, Muhammad. Mecca is off-limits to non-Muslims.
``The fact that this came about during Ramadan and that the militants were planning to target Mecca is a strong indication of the dangerous beliefs those people carry and the extent to which they have been duped,'' said the ministry official.
They really, really need to go. No more waiting for 9/11 II.
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