At Least 30 Casualties as Suicide Bomber Targets Shia Mosque in Saudi Arabia

People gather around an ambulance following a suicide attack on the Shiite Imam Ali mosque, in a village in the eastern province of Qatif, Saudi Arabia, 22 May 2015. Photo: EPA

There were at least thirty casualties as a suicide bomber targeted a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

According to media reports, the bomber targeted the Imam Ali mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh in the country's Eastern Province at a time when there more than 150 people were praying, the BBC and Al Jazeera report.

So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which constitutes the first bombing of a Shia mosque in the region.

The Shia Muslim minority in Saudi Arabia is largely concentrated in the country's Eastern Province and there have been protests for greater rights.

The incident comes as Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of Arab states, which is carrying out air strikes against Shia insurgents in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has also been threatened by Islamic State (IS), as the country participates in the international coalition against it.

 

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!