'Saudi' killed in Kuwait clashes

Kuwaiti security forces combed the area after the clash

A suspected Saudi militant has been killed and another gunman arrested in clashes with security forces in Kuwait.

The firefight happened at Umm al-Haiman, near the border with Saudi Arabia, Kuwaiti television said.

Kuwaiti forces have launched a search for up to six gunmen who escaped after the battle, in which at least two policemen were injured.

It was the second shoot-out in Kuwait this week, with two policemen being shot dead in Kuwait City on Monday.

The authorities have been hunting suspected militants since the shooting and have reportedly rounded up at least 40 people for questioning.

Saturday's firefight began at around midday local time, in Umm al-Haiman, at the heart of Kuwait's oil industry and near the border with Saudi Arabia.

AFP news agency quoted unnamed sources as saying police and special forces, backed by several helicopters, were involved in the operation to arrest militants linked to Monday's shooting.

Kuwait's Interior Minister, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, said the dead man "carried a Saudi passport, while the one arrested is a Kuwaiti citizen," the agency reported.

Kuwaiti television footage showed the body of the dead militant and a large amount of ammunition, explosives and hand-written bomb-making instructions in a house stormed by police.

Reuters said the Kuwaiti prime minister and other officials visited the scene.

Islamic militants have carried out scores of deadly attacks in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, but, if confirmed, this would be the first such attack involving a Saudi militant inside Kuwait.