Oman mosque shooting: Nine people were killed, including three attackers, in an assault on a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Oman late on Monday, authorities said, in a rare breach of security in one of the most stable countries in the Middle East. Four Pakistani nationals and a policeman were among those killed in the gun attack, according to Pakistani and Omani officials. Authorities said 28 people of various nationalities were wounded, including security personnel.
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.
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.
The state-run Oman News Agency said three attackers were killed. It reported 28 wounded of “different nationalities.” 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. Such violence is unusual in the sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. The US Embassy warned its citizens to “stay away from the area.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, said it “strongly condemns 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.” Iran’s foreign ministry 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 agency)
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