Leizel Lacastesantos, ABS-CBN News

<h3>Suspected gunman killed, 2 others arrested</h3><p>ZAMBOANGA CITY - (UPDATED) Two Saudi nationals were injured after they were shot while on board their vehicle outside the Western Mindanao State University Gym in Zamboanga City Tuesday evening.</p><p>The victims were identified as Dr. A&#x27;id Al-Qarni, an international lecturer and a renowned author of many inspirational books worldwide, and Sheikh Turki Assaegh, religious attaché of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, according to police Senior Inspector Helen Galvez, spokesperson of Zamboanga City Police Office.</p><p>Al-Qarni, a pro-government cleric with over 12 million followers on Twitter, is reportedly on an Islamic State hit list.</p><p>Although Al-Qarni is not employed by the state, he supports the government and enjoys credibility as an &quot;independent&quot; cleric who once backed an Islamist opposition movement against the Al Saud that led him to be banned from preaching in the early 1990s.</p><p>Islamic State regards Saudi Arabia&#x27;s ruling Al Saud family as apostates because of their close ties with Western countries and what the militant group describes as corruption and a failure to enforce a strict enough interpretation of Islam.</p><p>Sheikh Abdulwakil Tanjilil, deputy mufti of Region 9 and Palawan, said the victims have just rendered a free lecture in the Islamic Symposium inside the university gym when the incident occurred.</p><p>They were shot at when Al-Qarni opened the window of their vehicle to bid goodbye to the seminar attendees.</p><p>The victims were immediately rushed to the hospital. In a measure of his prominent position in Saudi Arabia, its government has sent a plane to transfer Qarni to Manila for further treatment, the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya news channel reported.</p><p>The suspects fired several shots. One of their escorts was able to fire back at the assailants, resulting in the death of one of the suspects. Two suspected individuals are in the custody of the local police for questioning.</p><p>The police have yet to determine the motive behind the attack. Investigations are ongoing to establish the identity of the slain suspect. Police found what seems to be a school uniform inside the bag of the killed suspect.</p><p>Meanwhile, several participants of the symposium were given medical aid after they suffocated inside the gym. Some of the participants in the symposium blamed the authorities for the alleged security lapses.</p><p>The Ulama Council of Zamboanga Peninsula, which organized the symposium, said the activity was participated by more than 8,000 Muslims coming from different parts of the region.<strong> - with a report from Reuters.</strong></p><script type="text/javascript">(function(d, s, id) {  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;  js.src = '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3';  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/tvpchavacano/posts/10154006759866663:0" data-width="500"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/tvpchavacano/posts/10154006759866663:0"><p>Base na mas reciente report del policia, librao ya segun na peligro el dos International lecturers conosido como canda...</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvpchavacano/">TV Patrol Chavacano</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tvpchavacano/posts/10154006759866663:0">Tuesday, March 1, 2016</a></blockquote></div></div>

(UPDATED) The pro-government cleric with over 12 million followers on Twitter is reportedly on an Islamic State hit list.

Influential Saudi scholar, attache shot in Zamboanga City

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Influential Saudi scholar, attache shot in Zamboanga City

Leizel Lacastesantos,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 01, 2016 11:37 PM PHT

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Updated March 02, 2016 04:13 AM PHT

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