The head of an American hostage, who was kidnapped and beheaded by militants in Saudi Arabia last month, was found in a raid on a militant hideout in Riyadh, Saudi capital, the Saudi Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry said the head of Paul Johnson, 49, was found in a freezer in an apartment, adding however the rest of the body was not found.

Johnson, an engineer who had worked in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade, was kidnapped and beheaded by militants allegedly linked to al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden last month. Saudi and US experts have been searching for his remains since then.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2004)