Briefly

Saudi forces kill suspected militants

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Three suspected Saudi militants armed with guns and hand grenades – including one militant on the country’s most-wanted list – were killed in a clash with Saudi security forces, officials said Tuesday.

Seven police officers were wounded in the confrontation with the militants, who were hiding on the second floor of a house in eastern Riyadh, according to an Interior Ministry statement.

Officials identified one of the militants as Abdul-Majeed Mohammed Abdullah al-Moneea, No. 18 on Saudi Arabia’s list of 26 most-wanted terrorist suspects. Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said al-Moneea was a member of an al Qaeda-affiliated group.

“He belonged to the legislative committee that issued fatwas (edicts) sanctioning the killing of people,” al-Turki said.

“Investigative authorities have proved his participation in assassinations and his insistent pursuit to recruit operatives who would serve his deviant thoughts.”

Al-Moneea’s killing was a coup for Saudi authorities, who have launched an aggressive crackdown on al Qaeda-affiliated militants.

His death leaves 10 of the list’s 26 on the run.

Also killed in the raid was Abdul-Hamid al-Yehya, who al-Turki said provided safehouses for suspected militants.

“He used women and children in those houses to mislead authorities,” al-Turki said. “He also forged many documents to cover up the criminal activities of those people.”

The third militant was Issam al-Otaibi, who al-Turki said was extradited a few weeks ago for “carrying out unacceptable activities abroad.”

Yasser Arafat’s cousin unhurt in bombing

Jerusalem A top Palestinian security leader who is related to Yasser Arafat escaped unharmed on Tuesday when a booby-trapped car exploded near his convoy in Gaza City.

The blast came as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon tried to cobble together a governing team to carry out his plan to withdraw from Gaza next year.

The bomb rocked Gaza City after nightfall, as Moussa Arafat’s convoy was leaving his headquarters. Arafat, a cousin of the top Palestinian leader, was not hurt, security officials said. As the convoy sped off, Moussa Arafat’s bodyguards fired submachine guns in the air.

Israel’s military denied involvement. It appeared more likely that local opponents were responsible, though no one claimed the attack. Palestinian riots torpedoed Yasser Arafat’s attempt to appoint his relative as head of Gaza security in July.

In a statement, Moussa Arafat called the bombing an assassination attempt, but he did not name suspects. Last year he escaped injury in an explosion in his office, when he said Palestinian enemies fired a rocket at the building.

Senator closes office, cites intelligence report

Washington A Democratic senator said Tuesday he has closed his Washington office because a top-secret intelligence report made him fear for his staff’s safety. Federal law enforcement officials insisted there is no new intelligence indicating the Capitol complex is a target.

Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., said his office will be closed while Congress is in recess through Election Day, with his staff working out of his Minnesota office and in Senate space off Capitol Hill.

“I take this step out of extreme, but necessary, precaution to protect the lives and safety of my Senate staff and my Minnesota constituents, who might otherwise be visiting my Senate office in the next three weeks,” said Dayton, whose office in the Russell Senate Office Building is across the street from the Capitol.

Dayton said he could not give details of the classified intelligence report, which he said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., presented to senators at a briefing two weeks ago.

Frist told reporters that he didn’t know of any other senators who had closed their Capitol Hill offices.

Rat parts turn up in turnip greens

Morrow, Ga. The Piccadilly restaurant chain has recalled a brand of turnip greens sold at some of its 132 restaurants after a customer at a Georgia outlet bit into greens containing rat body parts.

The parts came into the restaurant in Morrow frozen with the greens, which were supplied by a vendor, the chain’s regional manager, Clint Celestin, said Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the local health department, Sheryl Taylor, said her agency’s investigation was inconclusive as to the source of the contamination.

The customer, Collis L. Warren, said he was halfway through his meal when he said to himself: “That looks like hair or fur.” The 40-year-old truck driver added that he may have inadvertently eaten some of the rat.

Florida unions sue elections officials

Miami A coalition of unions sued Florida elections officials Tuesday, arguing that thousands of voters have been disenfranchised by the rejection of their voter registration forms.

The lawsuit is similar to one filed by Democrats last week. It accuses Secretary of State Glenda Hood of violating federal law for telling the state’s 67 elections supervisors that they should reject incomplete voter-registration forms.

Hood’s office told the supervisors to disqualify voters who failed to check a box confirming they are U.S. citizens, even if they signed an oath on the same form swearing they are. Officials have maintained that state and federal laws require the box to be checked. Said Hood spokeswoman Alia Faraj: “This is not an attempt by the state to do anything other than ensure there is uniformity in the process.”

In addition to Hood, supervisors of elections from five counties are named as defendants. “We think they are placing obstacles in the way of voters,” said Judith Browne, an attorney for Washington-based Advancement Project, a racial justice organization involved in the lawsuit.