A prominent Shiite cleric and critic of the Saudi government, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, was arrested in the kingdom's eastern province on Sunday.

Interior ministry spokesman Mansur Turki, cited by the official SPA news agency, said that al-Nimr “was arrested in Al-Awamiya after being wounded while resisting the security forces.”

Turki added that al-Nimr was taken to hospital and is due to be interrogated.