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Gunmen kill two Saudi guards in shootout near prison

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JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- A gun battle broke out Thursday near a prison in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, and two security guards were killed, the Saudi government said.

The clash between the unidentified gunmen and guards broke out in a building near the perimeter of Rouwais prison, Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Mansour Turki said. Police have cordoned off the area and were searching for the gunmen, he added.

Witnesses reported seeing several ambulances heading toward the location and helicopters hovering overhead.

Islamic militants are believed to be held at the prison, residents told Reuters.

State-owned TV Al-Ikhbariya and the privately owned Al Arabiya network said they had confirmed that a shooting took place between Saudi forces and "wanted people" in Jeddah.

On Saturday, Saudi security officials said they had foiled a terrorist suicide plot and over the past three months arrested 139 suspected Islamic militants who were in "sleeper cells" allegedly affiliated with al Qaeda.

Saudi security agents had monitored the suspects, who hail from several Arab nations, for months, a senior official in the Saudi Interior Ministry said.

Security agents then rounded up the men in different areas of Saudi Arabia before they launched their expected attack, the official said.

CNN's Caroline Faraj and Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report

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