IS Claims Responsibility for Suicide Bombing at Saudi Mosque

A suicide bomber is believed to have caused the blast in the mosque inside an emergency force headquarters building in the kingdom’s Asir region, the SPA reported, citing an Interior Ministry spokesman.

In May, two suicide bomb attacks on Shi’ite Muslim mosques in Saudi Arabia were claimed by Islamic State.

Saudi Arabia announced in July it had arrested over 400 ISIL (Daesh) members in the Kingdom over the previous few weeks and had prevented six suicide operations against Eastern Province mosques and assassinations of security personnel according to Al Jazeera.

Thursday’s attack was the first against a Saudi mosque used by the nation’s majority Sunnis since the siege of the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979, according to Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of Cornerstone Global Associates, which advises clients on risk in the Middle East. On the similar time, finishing up airstrikes in Syria and Iraq towards the Islamic State group.

IS last year urged its followers in Saudi Arabia to sow sectarian hatred by targeting the minority Shia population. Meanwhile, the Saudi authorities say they will make a statement surrounding the terrorist attack soon.

“The people and the Government of Pakistan wish to convey their heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for speedy recovery of the injured”, a statement issued from the office of Foreign Office spokesperson here said.

One other native ISIS affiliate calling itself Najd Province – a reference to the central Saudi area that is house to the capital, Riyadh – has claimed duty for current assaults in japanese Saudi Arabia and in addition in Kuwait.

The coalition is supporting forces loyal to Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, now in exile in Riyadh, to stop the advance of the rebels. It was not immediately clear why there was a discrepancy, but conflicting reports are common in the chaotic aftermath of bombings. But blame is likely to fall on the Islamic State group, whose local affiliate has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in recent months. Saud also confessed to having transported the explosive belt from near the border with Saudi Arabia where two Saudi brothers, now held in the kingdom, had left it.

Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.