Security forces raided houses and arrested several people in the Shiite-majority city of Awamiyah in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, local sources said.
Using military and armored vehicles, Saudi security forces carried out raids on the houses of civil activists in the city on Sunday night and took tens of people into custody.
A police officer is reported to have died and several people wounded in the operation to crack down on dissent in the city.
Awamiyah is the hometown of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr who has been arrested and sentenced to death by the Saudi regime.
There have been numerous demonstrations in Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province since 2011, with the protesters calling for political reform and an end to widespread discrimination.
As part of the regime's oppressive policies, the top cleric Sheikh Nimr was detained in July 2012 following demonstrations that erupted in the province.
He was accused of delivering anti-regime speeches and defending political prisoners, and was later sentenced to death. His arrest sparked widespread protests in the Arab country.
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