Saudi holds suspect in killing of French tourists

DUBAI, Oct 14 (Reuters) Saudi Arabia has captured a man suspected of involvement in the murder of four French tourists in the Muslim kingdom earlier this year, Al Arabiya Television reported today.

The Saudi-owned news channel gave no more details.

The four holidaymakers were among a group of nine French people 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 conservative kingdom for 2-1/2 years.

The gunmen ambushed the group, which was camping in the desert in the scenic western part of Saudi Arabia, shooting male members of the party including a teenager.

Saudi's official SPA news agency reported in July that a suspect had been detained in the far north of the vast desert country. Saudi security services said in May they had arrested a man suspected of helping the militants. In April they arrested eight other men in the case, though the main suspect was killed in May when police stormed a residential building in the Muslim holy city of Medina.

REUTERS SYU BST2133