Two policemen in Saudi Arabia were shot and killed in the country's east on Wednesday. The shooting happened at around 1 a.m. on the eastern region of al-Qatif, which is known as a predominantly Shiite neighborhood, according to Ahram Online News.

So far, no suspects have been identified by the Saudi authorities.

An Interior Ministry spokesman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said that the slain officers were shot while patrolling near farm fields in the Saihat area of Qatif, an area which lies close to the Gulf coast.

In response to the incident, a full-scale investigation has been initiated, reports Yahoo! News.

The killings are the latest in the area, which is a location in which police have continued to hunt for 23 wanted suspects since 2011. The 23 were considered wanted after being linked to a series of Shiite protests in the Eastern Province.

Due to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia being primarily Sunni, Shiites have complained that they have and are still being marginalized, according to Naharnet News. Saudi Shiites have been the target of suicide bombings and shootings by Sunni extremists over the past year. Radical groups such as the Islamic State consider the Shiites as heretics.

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