Saudi policeman shot dead

Riyadh : A Saudi policeman was shot dead Saturday in Dammam, the interior ministry said.

The officer was hit by gunfire from "an unknown source" as he got out of his car in a neighbourhood northwest of the city, said a ministry spokesman quoted by the official SPA news agency.

He was part of a unit assigned with guarding public installations.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the attack, the latest in a series against officers of the oil-rich kingdom, the spokesman added.

It is the third attack of its kind in Dammam during the past two months.

Saudi security forces have come under attack by extremists linked to Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group.