Saudi hunts for militants

Saudi security forces hunted for militants yesterday as the deadline for an al Qaeda threat to kill an American hostage loomed, but there was no official word of any arrests.

Al Qaeda has given the government until today to release jailed militants or it will execute engineer Paul Marshal Johnson, who was kidnapped last week. Saudi official sources have said the kingdom would not give in to al Qaeda's demands.

Security forces searched some western and southern districts of the capital Riyadh on Wednesday, including the Suweidi area, a known stronghold for militants. Security sources said no arrests had been made.

One Saudi daily said three suspects had been detained, but the report could not be independently confirmed.

The threat to kill Johnson, which follows a spate of suicide bombings and shootings in the past six weeks, raised the stakes in al Qaeda's war to topple Saudi Arabia's pro-US monarchy and drive out Westerners from the world's largest oil exporter.