Riyadh, July 8 (Reuters): Six Saudis and a Yemeni held in Saudi Arabia on security charges have escaped a detention centre in the capital Riyadh, state news agency SPA said today.

“Seven detainees at Malaz prison in Riyadh, held in connection with security cases, were able to leave the detention centre,” SPA quoted an interior ministry statement as saying. It did not say when or how they had escaped.

“They were in Malaz prison and under investigation. Somehow they left the prison, they ran away,” an interior ministry spokesman said. He said the men were not on any lists of suspected militants wanted by authorities and had not taken part in militant attacks or clashes with police.

A government security adviser said the men had no proven links to al Qaida militants, who are normally held at a high security prison outside Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has been battling a campaign of violence by militants linked to the al Qaida who want to topple the pro-US monarchy.