Shooting in Saudi Arabia leaves six dead

The incident happened in the southern province of Assir

ABHA, SAUDI ARABIA - DECEMBER 11: Aerial view of a Saudi Arabia map on a hill, Asir province, Abha, Saudi Arabia on December 11, 2018 in Abha, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Police in Saudi Arabia are investigating a shooting on Tuesday that left six dead in Assir, a southern region that shares a short border with Yemen.

The authorities on Wednesday said they were searching for some of the suspects in the cases. Three Saudis were also injured and taken to hospital, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

Local reports said the incident was sparked by a dispute between two families. Assir police spokesman Lt Col Zaid Muhammad Al Dabbash said the victims were Saudi citizens in their 30s and 40s.

He added that a weapon had been seized by police and that “procedures are being completed to arrest the rest of the accused and transfer [the case] to the attorney general”.

No further details on the nature of the incident, which happened in Al Amwah, have yet been provided.

Mass shootings are rare in the kingdom, and the police official gave no indication the incident was terrorism-related.

Local media said the shooting involved two dueling families, though the cause of their dispute was unclear.