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Press report: Saudi police foil smugglers trying to bring weapons from Yemen | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Saudi Arabian border guards foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons, ammunitions and explosive material from southern neighbor Yemen, according to a press report published Saturday.

Brig. Gen. Mohammed bin Abdel Rahman al-Zahrani, head of border guards of southern el-Saqam region, told the privately owned al-Watan daily that smugglers were caught at the Saudi border town of Akafa, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of the capital, Riyadh.

Guards seized &#3440 U.S.-made guns,&#34 ammunition and more than 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of the &#34white explosive material,&#34 according to the government-guided paper.

It was unclear how many people were detained. No further details were provided.

Saudi officials believe most of the weapons used in militant operations in Saudi Arabia, including the May suicide attacks, are smuggled from Yemen, an impoverished country at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula that has long been awash in small arms.