ISIS Attacks Mosque in Saudi Arabia for 2nd Time in a Week (VIDEO)
Saudi Arabia has been attacked by a suicide bomber of the Islamic State for the second time in a week.
The Associated Press reports that ISIS took responsibility for the attack, which claimed four lives. ISIS made the claim on a Facebook account they regularly use to make annoucements and spread propaganda. They said the name of the suicide bomber was Abu Jandal al-Jazwari.
Reuters reports the target was the al-Anoud mosque in the eastern city of Dammam.
Videos on social media showed the mosque from inside when the bomb exploded.
At least 4 dead after a suicide bomber detonates himself next to packed Shia mosque in Dammam, E. Saudi pic.twitter.com/ajS69s7HD2 #ShiaGenocide
— Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) May 29, 2015
Initial reports on social media said the death toll would have been hire if the attacker hadn't been stopped in the mosque's parking lot by security. Reuters reporting backs these reports.
Other videos showed some of the aftermath of the explosion.
The suicide bomber was unable to enter the packed Shi'a mosque because brave men outside stopped him. pic.twitter.com/LPz6FFQcYM #ShiaGenocide — Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) May 29, 2015
This attack comes just weeks after a suicide bombing claimed more than 20 lives and left more than a hundred people injured in the village of al-Qeedah. The attacks on the Shia mosques are another example of how the sectarian conflict that has engulfed Iraq and Pakistan is beginning to penetrate Saudi Arabia.
It also follows a number of shooting incidents in the kingdom that targeted both civilians and security officers.
Saudi Arabia's young population, high unemployment, and radical religious establishment suggest that these attacks will continue. The fact it is the second bombing in a week also suggests the attacks my increase in frequency.
The attack also illustrates how even though Saudi Arabia and ISIS are nearly identical in their practices of beheading and Sharia law, the Islamic State's sectarian nature means that Shia muslims everywhere are at risk.
