Muscat: An Indian national was among the six people killed in a rare shooting incident at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Oman, according to the Indian embassy in Muscat. The shooting on Monday near the Imam Ali Mosque also killed a policeman and four Pakistan nationals, injuring 28 others.
"Following the shooting incident reported in Muscat city on 15 July, Foreign Ministry of Sultanate of Oman has informed that one Indian national has lost his life & another is injured. Embassy offers its sincere condolences & stands ready to offer all assistance to the families," said the Indian embassy in Oman in a tweet on X.
Meanwhile, the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. The ISIS has repeatedly targeted Shia ceremonies, processions and worshippers in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, it has never before claimed an attack in Oman, where the Shia are a minority.
Islamic State said in a statement late on Tuesday that three of its "suicide attackers" fired on worshippers at the mosque on Monday evening and exchanged gunfire with Omani security forces until morning. The group also published what it said was a video of the attack on its Telegram site.
All three attackers eliminated by security forces
Pakistan's foreign ministry said the attack took place in the Ali bin Abi Talib mosque. A local source said it was also known as Imam Ali mosque, a Shi'ite place of worship in Sunni-dominated Oman. The shooting occurred on the eve of Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith. The day falls in the Islamic month of Muharram, one of the holiest months for Shiite Muslims.
The attack began on Monday evening at the Ali bin Abi Talib mosque in the Wadi al-Kabir neighbourhood of Oman's capital Muscat, authorities said, 500 metres from an international school and an adjacent skateboard park and less than 10 kilometres from a string of five-star beach resorts. Police have not said whether they have identified a motive for the attack or made any arrests. Omani authorities also have not released the identity of the attackers.
Describing the incident in the Wadi al-Kabir district of Oman's capital Muscat as a "terrorist" attack, the Pakistani ministry said 30 injured people were in hospital. It is pertinent to mention here that such violence is unusual in the sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, which is one of the most stable countries in the Middle East.
Pakistan strongly condemned the "dastardly terrorist attack on Imam Bargah Ali bin Abu Talib” mosque. Pakistan's ambassador to Oman was pictured visiting victims of the attack in a hospital, according to video the embassy posted on X. A separate statement by Pakistan’s information office said the government was “heartened that the government of Oman has neutralized the attackers” and that Pakistan has offered assistance in “bringing to justice those responsible for this heinous crime in this holy month of Muharram.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy warned its citizens to “stay away from the area". Iran’s foreign ministry also condemned the attack. Iran is a Shiite theocracy. Oman has maintained its neutrality in the turbulent region and mediated in disputes, including between the United States and Iran.
(with inputs from agencies)
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