A man thought to have masterminded a series of bomb attacks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in May has been killed during a police operation to arrest him, Saudi officials have said. They initially said the suspect, Turki Nasser al-Dandani, had blown himself up after being cornered in the northern province of al-Jawf. But a later statement by the Saudi interior ministry said Mr Dandani and three of his companions died in a gunfight with security personnel. Mr Dandani, 27, a suspected al-Qaeda member, had topped a list of 19 wanted terror suspects issued by Saudi authorities just days before the triple bomb attacks on the Western compounds in Riyadh on 12 May. Dozens of people were arrested following the attacks, which killed 35 people including nine bombers. The prominent UK-based Saudi dissident Saad al-Fagih told the BBC that Mr Dandani had been cornered in a mosque in the town of Skaka by Saudi security forces following a 10-day chase. Mr Fagih quoted witnesses as saying helicopters and special forces arrived to act as reinforcements and began firing on the mosque from all sides. He said that after his three companions were killed, Mr Dandani ran from the mosque and killed at least one Saudi officer before dying in a hail of bullets. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Saudi and foreign citizens gather around the devastated Al-Hamra expatriate housing compound that was hit by a car bomb in May, 2003. (AFP/File/Bilal Qabalan)