Saudi security forces opened fire on protesters demanding the release of detainees in the eastern district of Qatif.

Saudi security forces opened fire on protesters demanding the release of detainees in the eastern district of Qatif.

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Witnessed said that several demonstrators were wounded as police fired live rounds, adding that a number of others were arrested at the protest which took place in the early hours.

For its part, the interior ministry said security forces dealt with "rioters who burned tires" in parts of Qatif, arresting several people, including Mohammed al-Shakhuri, whose name figures on a list of 23 wanted people.
"There were no casualties," the ministry claimed in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

Witnesses said that Shakhuri had been taken to the military hospital in nearby Dhahran with bullet wounds to his back and neck.

The demonstrators carried posters of detainees, including prominent cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was injured and arrested earlier this month, witnesses said.

In recent days, confrontations have intensified between police and protesters in Qatif, especially after the martyrdom of two protesters earlier this month.