A man wanted in connection with alleged "terrorism" activities was shot dead and a police officer wounded in a firefight in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, the interior ministry said Friday.

The incident in the Qatif area of the kingdom's predominantly Shia, oil-rich region late Thursday saw the suspect open fire after refusing to surrender to security forces, a ministry spokesman said.

Police fired back, resulting in the man's death. The official SPA news agency reported that one officer was hospitalised after the altercation.

Thursday's shooting comes days after the killing by an unknown assailant of a policeman in Qatif, according to the ministry.

At least nine police have been shot dead since 2014 in and around Qatif, the scene of sporadic protests by Shia residents who complain of marginalisation by the kingdom's Sunni rulers

Source: Ahram online