RIYADH: Following the abduction of a Shia cleric in December, Saudi Arabia detained three people and the search for three others was on-going, the interior minister said on Sunday. Judge Sheikh Mohammed al-Jirani was abducted from a village in Qatif in mid-December. The district has been a centre of minority unrest in the kingdom since 2011. State television reported that Jirani was critical of the unrest. In a statement, the ministry said that authorities arrested three people who were observing the judge before his abduction and following an investigation, they were able to identify the three criminals who were directly involved. Authorities urged the abductors to free Jirani immediately and said that anyone with knowledge regarding the suspects, who did not come forward, would be prosecuted.