ISIL Claims Responsibility for Attack on Shia Center in Eastern Saudi Arabia
A militant from the ISIL-affiliated ‘Wilayat Bahrain’ terrorist group opened fire on a number of Shia Muslims attending a religious mourning ceremony in the city of Saihat near the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Friday night, Sky News Arabic reported.
More than ten people also sustained injuries in the armed attack, media reported.
Witnesses said the attacker was trying to approach the Shia gathering, but he was stopped by security guards at a checkpoint. A gun fight then broke out between the two sides.
According to reports, the militant was killed by security forces, while those injured were transferred to hospital.
At the time of attack, the Shias were commemorating the beginning of the mourning rituals of the month of Muharram, the 10th day of which, known as Ashura, marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia imam.
Meanwhile, reports say another armed assault targeted a Shia mosque in the al-Anoud district of Dammam, the capital of Eastern Province on Friday. A foreign worker at the site was wounded in the incident.
Saudi security sources say both assailants in the Friday attacks were Saudi nationals.
Shortly after the attacks, people took to streets in Saihat to condemn the acts of terror against Shia Muslims.
