Saudi official says 2 extremists killed inside their car

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry says security forces have fired at a car, setting it on fire, and killing two extremists inside in a restive town in the country’s eastern province.

Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said in a statement early Friday that security forces in the heavily Shiites populated town of Qatif spotted a stolen car on Thursday evening and found inside it weapons and remain of munition that cause the explosion.

The incident was reported late Thursday by state-linked Saudi media showing a car engulfed in fire and thick plumes of black smoke.

Violence between Shiite militants and security forces there has increased in recent weeks, with several incidents of militants firing rocket-propelled grenades at police. The Islamic State group has previously launched attacks on Shiites in Qatif.