Saudis arrest two Yemeni IS militants suspected of planning attacks

Saudi Arabia authorities said on Monday they had arrested two Yemeni members of the Islamic State (IS) group who allegedly were planning suicide attacks on its defence ministry headquarters in the capital Riyadh.

In a statement published on the official Saudi news agency, the authorities said security forces had foiled planned attacks using suicide vests at two defence ministry buildings.

The likely bombers were identified as two Yemeni nationals living under aliases in the kingdom, who were detained along with two Saudi citizens also suspected of involvement in the plot, according to an official from the state security service.

A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition entered Yemen's war in 2015 in support of the government against the Iran-backed rebels, who seized Sanaa the previous year after forming a fragile alliance with troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The World Health Organisation estimates that nearly 8,400 civilians have been killed and 47,800 wounded since the Saudi-led alliance intervened in the Yemen conflict.