Riyadh, Oct 1 (IANS): The number of wanted suspects on six lists published by Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry in 2003 has declined from 263 to 132.

The updates on the lists, posted on the Interior Ministry's website, showed that the number of people wanted dropped following the death of 57 wanted individuals in clashes with security personnel, and two others who died outside Saudi Arabia, Arab News reported.

The interior ministry said there are 24 detainees on the list and that search operations are still in progress for the remaining.

A ministry statement said 19 men were arrested and then released.

The number of detainees at the criminal detective department prisons increased to 3,036 since August 2013.

The latest statistics indicate that Saudis top the total number of detainees, with 2,599 suspects, followed by 185 Yemenis, 67 Syrians, 29 Pakistanis and 20 Egyptians.

A total of 166 terror suspects were sentenced, ranging from two to 35 years by the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh.

The terrorists had been accused of atonement, assassinations and exploiting religion to attract youth.