A 25-hour hostage drama in the Saudi Arabian oil city of Al Khobar came to an end on Sunday with commandos freeing over 50 people from the clutches of terrorists who carried out two attacks killing 22 people, including eight Indians.
Lawrence Gregory Monice from Mangalore, Karnataka, one of the eight Indians, was killed in crossfire between Saudi security forces and the terrorists. The terrorists gunned down the others, sources in Saudi Arabia said.
The other Indians, mostly employees of Saudi maintenance company Saad Corporation and located in the Oasis Housing Complex, were identified as P K Pradeep Kumar (Kerala), J N Jose (Kerala), Charles Clethens Carlos, John Fernando (Goa), Suresh Kumar and J Ram (both from Rajasthan) and Vikram (Bihar), the sources said.
A statement issued by the Saudi interior ministry said that while three of the four Al-Qaeda terrorists, who carried out the attacks, managed to escape, one of them was arrested in an injured condition.
Beside the Indians, the other dead comprised three Fillipinos, three Saudis, two Sri Lankans, an American, a Briton, an Italian, a Swedish, a South African and an Egyptian, the statement said.
At least one Indian -- Qasim Abdul Gaffar -- was among the 25 people injured and he was admitted to a local hospital.