Riyadh: Two militants were killed today (November 3) in a shootout with police in the holy city of Mecca, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

SPA quoted an unnamed Interior Ministry official as saying police foiled a terrorist operation "that did not respect the sanctity of holy places and the month of Ramzan'' before taking place.

The shootout occurred after police surrounded two buildings in Mecca's al-Share'a neighborhood at 08:00 hours local time (10:30 IST), the agency reported.

"The terrorists began shooting heavily at security forces, using automatic rifles and hand-grenades,'' the agency quoted the official as saying.

Police fired back at the militants as they were attempting to flee the area in two cars, hitting one of the vehicles and killing two of its occupants.

A cache of weapons and bombs were found inside the car, the official said.

Security also seized firearms including Kalashnikov rifles, hand-grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, and material to make explosives in the raided premise. Passports, identification cards, and flyers were also found.

Agencies