Mahmoud Ahmad • Arab News Staff

JEDDAH, 27 June 2003 — One of the 19 suspects wanted in connection with terrorist acts turned himself in early yesterday, according to an Interior Ministry official. The man was identified as Ali Abdulrahman Saeed Al-Faqaasi Al-Ghamdi.

The Saudi Press Agency quoted the official as saying that legal proceedings will take place according to the Shariah and in light of the fact that Al-Faqaasi surrendered.

The official appealed to the other wanted men to turn themselves in. This, he said, would guarantee them a fair trial under the Shariah.

On Tuesday, security forces arrested six more suspects, three of them carrying maps of “vital government installations.” Four of the men were arrested in Makkah and the other two in Abha, Okaz newspaper quoted security sources as saying.

Security forces have also conducted new raids on several hideouts near Makkah used by militants to store arms, the daily said without revealing if weapons were seized.

The arrests were made when police stopped a car carrying three passengers on the Makkah-Jeddah Expressway. Maps of several government installations were seized, the newspaper said.

One more suspect was also arrested that day in Makkah.

One of the three in the car was on a police wanted list following a major sweep on June 14 against a number of militant hideouts in the holy city, in which five suspects were killed and 12 arrested.

Two security men also died while five other officers and four citizens were wounded in the shootout. Police seized a large quantity of arms, chemicals, grenades, cleavers and automatic rifles.

Seven of those arrested were Saudis. Three others were from Chad and one an Egyptian. The 12th person was not identified.

Interior Minister Prince Naif said Sunday that a total of 44 people suspected of links to the May 12 suicide bombings in Riyadh have been arrested. Those detained include four women arrested in a raid in Makkah on Friday amid initial indications that they played a role in the terror network.

Prince Naif said security forces were still hunting for other suspected terrorists, mainly Turky Al-Dandani and Ali Al-Ghamdi, No. 1 and No. 2 on the list of 19 wanted militants.

At least 35 people, including nine bombers, were killed in the suicide attacks on three expatriate housing compounds.

The Kingdom has blamed the attacks on the Al-Qaeda terror network.