MAKKAH: Six Saudis were killed and three injured during a shootout in Asir, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.
The incident happened in Al-Amoah governorate, which borders Yemen, where Houthi militias continue to fight the legitimate, internationally-recognized government. However, a source close to those who died told Arab News that the gun battle was primarily the result of a family conflict about the right to hunt in a disputed area.
He said two brothers were hunting on Tuesday when they were confronted by their cousins who reproached them for doing so in that location. As the argument escalated, the two brothers called their siblings for help.
The source said that five armed men went to assist their brothers. In the gun battle that followed, four of the brothers were shot and killed, along with two of the cousins. The fifth brother is in intensive care.
Police confiscated the men’s weapons and are investigating the incident, said Asir police spokesman, Lt. Col. Zaid Mohammed Al-Dabbash. All of those who died were in their 30s and 40s, he added, and the three injured men are being treated in hospital.
He said that the survivors will be arrested and reported to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.
