Saudi detains suspect in murder of French tourists -TV

RIYADH, July 15 (Reuters) Saudi Arabia has detained a suspect in the murder of four French tourists in the conservative Muslim kingdom earlier this year, Al Arabiya television reported today.

The Saudi-owned channel gave no details and did not say how it got the information.

Four French holidaymakers died after they were attacked by militants while on a desert trip in Saudi Arabia in February, the first attack on foreigners by suspected al Qaeda militants in the kingdom for 2-1/2 years.

The attackers picked on a group of nine French nationals living in Riyadh who were visiting historic sites and camping in the desert, and shot the male members of the group, including a teenager.

Islamic militants swearing allegiance to al Qaeda launched a violent campaign to topple the U.S.-allied Saudi monarchy in 2003, carrying out attacks on foreigners and government installations including the oil ministry.

Saudi security services said in May they had arrested a man suspected of helping the militants who killed the tourists. In April it arrested eight other men in the case.

The main suspect, Walled bin Mutliq al-Radadi, was killed in May when police stormed a residential building in the Muslim holy city of Medina.

REUTERS SM HT1925