Gunman Killed After Wounding Four At Shi’ite Hall In Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that the five dead included a woman but declined to comment on the likely motives or the identity of the gunman.

Both France and Saudi belong to the US-led coalition that has bombed ISIS which has also claimed responsiblity for attacks in the kingdom this year.

The attack occurred while Saudi Shiites were marking Ashura anniversary, one of the holiest occasions of the Shiite faith.

A witness to Friday’s attack, Ali al-Bahrani, told AFP that “a gunman began randomly shooting at people attending a sermon”. It said that four people were wounded. A suicide bomber killed 15 people in an attack on a mosque in south-west Saudi Arabia in August, while in May, two suicide attacks on Shiite mosques killed 25.

The attack took place when a gunman opened fire at a Shiite community center in Saihat district in the Qatif area of Eastern Province, Al Arabiya local news reported.

An eyewitness said the attacker arrived in a taxi before being stopped at a checkpoint by Shiite volunteers.

In May 2015, ISIL claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing during midday prayers at a Shia mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia.

Most Saudi Shiites live in the oil-rich east, and many complain of marginalisation. That came after Shiite leaders accused the leaders of the Sunni-majority kingdom of not doing enough to protect their community.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said the suspect was killed when police intervened and opened fire.

“The reality is that they are shedding Muslim blood and destroying Islam”.

It said the Saudi authorities had expressed their intention to enter negotiations for deals worth 5 billion euros with Veolia (VIE.PA), Alstom (ALSO.PA) and ENGIE (ENGIE.PA) for contracts in waste management and the metro in Riyadh, as well energy distribution in Jeddah.