Five killed in Saudi
RIYADH: A gunman killed five people
at a Shia gathering in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday before being shot
dead by police, the interior ministry said, in an attack claimed by a
group linked to Islamic State militants.
It was the latest in a series of bombings and shootings linked to the Sunni extremist group in Saudi Arabia over the past year.
The murders, in the Qatif area of Eastern Province, came two days after the start of commemorations of Ashura, one of the holiest occasions for the Shia faith, a minority in Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.
“As (a) result of his shooting, five citizens… were killed, including a woman. Nine others were wounded,” an interior ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
He said that at about 7:00 pm Friday a suspect with an automatic weapon “started to shoot randomly” at a Shia hall used for commemorations in the Saihat area of Qatif city.
Police intervened and opened fire, killing the suspect, the spokesperson said without giving details about the attacker.
“The situation is still under investigation,” he said.
Members of Saudi security forces inspect the damage to a mosque used by
members of a local security force in Abha, southwest Saudi Arabia August
6, 2015.
It was the latest in a series of bombings and shootings linked to the Sunni extremist group in Saudi Arabia over the past year.
The murders, in the Qatif area of Eastern Province, came two days after the start of commemorations of Ashura, one of the holiest occasions for the Shia faith, a minority in Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.
“As (a) result of his shooting, five citizens… were killed, including a woman. Nine others were wounded,” an interior ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
He said that at about 7:00 pm Friday a suspect with an automatic weapon “started to shoot randomly” at a Shia hall used for commemorations in the Saihat area of Qatif city.
Police intervened and opened fire, killing the suspect, the spokesperson said without giving details about the attacker.
“The situation is still under investigation,” he said.
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