Six people, including four Pakistanis, were killed and nearly 30 were injured in a rare attack near a Shiite mosque in Muscat, the capital of Oman, officials said on Tuesday. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting, which occurred during Ashura, a significant Shiite day of mourning.
The Royal Oman Police reported the incident near the Al-Wadi Al-Kabir mosque, confirming that three gunmen were killed and six people, including a police officer, lost their lives. Twenty-eight others from various nationalities, including rescuers and paramedics, were wounded.
The Islamic State said its fighters targeted Shiite worshippers observing Ashura. Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed that four Pakistanis were killed and 30 were injured. One Indian was killed and another injured, according to India’s embassy in Oman.
Also Read: One Indian Among Six Killed In Oman, Amid Attack In Mosque
Footage showed people fleeing the Imam Ali Mosque amid gunfire. Pakistan’s ambassador to Oman, Imran Ali, mentioned that the mosque was mainly attended by South Asian expatriates. Oman hosts around 400,000 Pakistanis.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences and offered support to Oman. Iran condemned the attack as a divisive act. The American embassy in Muscat issued a security alert and canceled visa appointments.
Omani police are investigating the incident, which left the area around the mosque cordoned off. Oman, predominantly Muslim with small Shiite and expatriate communities, had not experienced such an attack before. Previous attacks on Shiite mosques in the Gulf region include a 2015 suicide bombing in Kuwait and two attacks in Saudi Arabia, all claimed by the Islamic State.
