World Bulletin/News Desk

Saudi police on Saturday detained 33 members of an alleged cell linked to a deadly shooting attack in the eastern province of Al-Ahasa.

The cell planning major attacks on a number of public figures, government buildings, and security sites, a well-placed source told the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel. 

Saudi authorities have not yet confirmed the report.

Five people had been killed and nine others wounded when three masked men opened fire late Monday on a group of people in Al-Dalwah village in Al-Ahsa province.

Al-Ahsa is a region of the Eastern Province, where the kingdom's Shiite community is concentrated.

Shiites – estimated at some 10 percent of Saudi Arabia's population of 20 million – have long accused the authorities of marginalizing and discriminating against them, particularly in terms of government and army appointments.