In attack that shocks quiet Oman, gunmen kill 6 and wound dozens more at a Shiite mosque
Authorities in the Gulf Arab state of Oman say several gunmen burst into a Shiite mosque and opened fire, killing six people and wounding nearly 30 more
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Several gunmen burst into a Shiite mosque in the Gulf Arab state of Oman and opened fire, killing six people and wounding nearly 30 more, authorities said Tuesday, stunning the peaceful sultanate and making it the country's deadliest such attack in recent memory.
The Islamic State extremist group, through an affiliated news agency, claimed responsibility for the attack in the capital, Muscat, without providing evidence. It marked the first time that the Sunni Muslim extremist group has asserted responsibility for an attack in Oman.
That the Islamic State, which considers Shiites to be heretics, targeted Shiite worshippers on the eve of their holy day is nothing new — the group in January claimed responsibility for an attack in Shiite-majority Iran that killed 84 people.
Most shocking, analysts say, is that the attack happened in Oman, a quiet country on the southeastern edge of the Arabian peninsula with well-trained security forces, a policy of non-intervention and a majority population of Ibadi Muslims, a more liberal offshoot of Islam predating the Sunni-Shiite split.
