Saudi police, battling a surge in al Qaeda-linked violence, killed four gunmen in a shootout today near the capital Riyadh.
The Interior Ministry said security forces opened fire on the men who shot at them and refused to surrender.
The ministry said the men belonged to the "deviant group" - the term the government uses for al Qaeda.
It was not clear if the gunmen were on the kingdom's list of 26 most wanted militants.