20 killed as Saudi Shia mosque is hit by suicide bomber

A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a Saudi mosque packed with worshippers for Friday prayers, killing around 20 people and wounding more than 50, according to a doctor. One witness described a huge explosion at the Imam Ali Shia mosque in the village of al Qadeeh, which is roughly 400km (250m) to the east of Riyadh. About 150 people were believed to be praying at the mosque. A medical official at a local hospital said that “around 20 people” were killed and more than 50 are wounded, some seriously.

We were doing the first part of the prayers when we heard the blast.

Worshipper Kamal Jaafar Hassan

The Saudi state news agency confirmed an explosion had happened at a mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia and said more details would be provided later. Pictures posted on social media showed bloodied victims being taken away on stretchers. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, the first to target Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia since November, when gunmen killed at least eight people in an attack on a religious anniversary celebration, also in the east of the country. In Yemen, a bomb at a Houthi mosque in the capital Sanaa on Friday was claimed by Islamic State.

Mosque bombing Middle East