At least 30 casualties feared in suicide bomber attack on mosque in Saudi Arabia
Published time: May 22, 2015 10
Edited time: May 22, 2015 11
A suicide bomber has blown himself at a Shiite mosque in the east of Saudi Arabia during Friday prayers. Local residents say the explosion has killed and wounded at least 30 people.
The blast took place at the Imam Ali mosque in the town of al-Qadeeh, Qatif province. One witness said there were at least 30 casualties in the attack, where more than 150 people were praying.
"We were doing the first part of the prayers when we heard the blast," Kamal Jaafar Hassan, one of the worshipers, told Reuters by telephone from the scene.
Another eyewitness told the Middle East Eye that at least five people have been killed and 20 have been injured.
The Saudi state has confirmed that an explosion took place at a mosque in the east of the country and said more details would be provided later.
Photographs from the scene show bodies strewn across the floor, while emergency vehicles are already at the site of the blat. Inside the mosque, glass has been shattered; pieces of concrete, perhaps from the ceiling, are littered across the floor.
The al-Qadeeh town is home to Saudi Arabia?s Shiite minority, in a country which is predominantly Sunni.
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In late March Houthi fighters from Yemen threatened to carry out suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia if airstrikes against their positions continued.
Abdel Mon'em Al-Qurashi, a senior member of the Houthis Executive Committee, said on March 28 that they would destroy the Saudi regime for its ?aggressive? policies, the Fars news agency from Iran reported.
However, Houthis are also Shiite Muslims, like those killed in the suicide attack.
Saudi Arabia has also been threatened by Islamic State, which is being targeted by an international coalition including the Sunni kingdom.
Shiites make up around 10-15 percent of the Saudi Arabian population. They are mainly based in two districts in the Eastern province, not far from Bahrain, in Qatif and al-Ahsa. Both areas have historically been the focal points for anti-government demonstrations, according to Al Jazeera.
Shiites living in Saudi Arabia have often complained of discrimination by the Sunni government, which is a charge they deny. .
So, the war is finally coming toward Saudi-Arab, a very dangerous sign indeed.
