Saudi Arabia said a Pakistani man who came to the kingdom 12 years ago to work as a driver carried out the suicide bombing outside one of Islam’s holiest sites.
A Saudi Ministry of the Interior statement yesterday identified the man as 34-year-old Abdullah Qalzar Khan, adding that he lived in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah with “his wife and her parents.”
The statement did not elaborate.
Monday’s suicide bombing killed four Saudi security troops and wounded five others in a parking lot outside the sprawling mosque grounds where the Prophet Mohammed is buried in Medina.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack there, as well as others near the US consulate in Jeddah and a suicide car bombing near a Shiite mosque in Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Since late 2014, Saudi Arabia has been hit by bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, but multiple attacks on the same day are unusual.
The Prophet’s Mosque, in the west of the kingdom, is one of Islam’s holiest sites and which attracts millions of visitors each year.
“Security forces suspected a man who was heading towards al-Masjid al-Nabawi [the Prophet’s Mosque] as he passed through a visitors’ parking lot,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
“As they tried to stop him, he blew himself up with an explosive belt causing his death, and the death of four security personnel,” the statement said.
Residents of Qatif said body parts were found near a Shiite mosque and the ministry confirmed the suicide bombing, clarifying that “the body parts of three people were found” at that site, but have not yet been identified.
The ministry said the Medina attack occurred during sunset prayers after which Muslims break their Ramadan fast.
The Prophet’s Mosque is particularly crowded during Ramadan, which is supposed to be a time of charity, but has seen spectacular attacks around the region.
Undeterred by the blast at the sprawling Medina mosque complex, thousands of worshipers performed prayers on Monday night, live Saudi television showed.
Sunni extremists from IS claimed, or were blamed for, a suicide bombing in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Sunday that killed more than 200 people, as well as attacks in Bangladesh on Friday night and at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport last week.
Monday’s bombings in Medina and Qatif took place simultaneously.
“Suicide bomber for sure. I can see the body” torn apart, one witness to the attack in Qatif said.
Another witness, who gave his name only as Ayman, said there were two explosions near the Shiite mosque.
Pictures said to be from the scene and circulated by residents showed a small fire burning in the street, severed limbs and what appeared to be a head.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS