Holders must renew their annual firearms licences within three months of the expiration date or risk cancellation or a fine of 1,000 riyalsdollars).

An amnesty for Saudis to surrender unlicensed firearms expired at the end of February 2003, after another amnesty period for citizens to register illegal arms expired last year.

It was not known if the new statement, carried by the official SPA agency, was linked to the May 12 suicide bombings in Riyadh which killed 35 people and a government crackdown on "terrorism."

Large quantities of firearms, including AK-47 automatic rifles, and ammunition are smuggled every year across the Saudi-Yemen border.

WAR.WIRE