Gunmen kill policeman in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province

A policeman was shot dead by masked gunmen in the Qatif district in Saudi Arabia's oil-producing Eastern Province on Wednesday, state news agency SPA said, the latest in a string of attacks there this year.Four assailants opened fire on a police station before dawn, SPA reported.Qatif, which is both a city and the name of a district, is home to many Shias.Qatif was one of three Saudi cities targeted in coordinated bomb attacks on July 4. A suicide bomber struck near a Shia mosque killing himself and two others.The Saudi government said Islamic State was likely behind the attacks. There have also been shootings of security forces by Shia militants.The oil-rich area was hit by anti-government protests early this year after the authorities executed prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr on terrorism-related charges.