Six people, including a policeman, have been killed and 28 others injured in a rare shooting attack near a Shia Muslim mosque in Oman’s capital, Muscat, police say.
The three attackers were also killed by security forces during the incident in the al-Wadi al-Kabir area on Monday night, according to a statement.
Police gave no details about the identities of the victims and gunmen, or the motive. But Pakistan said four Pakistanis were among those killed in a “terrorist attack” on the Imam Ali Mosque. India also said one of its citizens was killed.
The Sunni Muslim jihadist group Islamic State (IS) says three of its members were involved in the attack.
Supporters of the group celebrated the shooting on social media networks.
IS has repeatedly targeted Shia ceremonies, processions and worshippers in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it has never before claimed an attack in Oman, where the Shia are a minority.
The police statement expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said an investigation into the circumstances of the incident was under way.
It also emphasised “the necessity of obtaining information from official sources and disregarding unreliable information”.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was “deeply saddened” by the attack and that his heart went “out to the families of the victims”.
Pakistan’s embassy in Muscat named the four Pakistanis who were killed as Ghulam Abbas, Hasan Abbas, Sayyed Qaisar Abbas and Sulaiman Nawaz. It also said 30 Pakistanis were receiving hospital treatment.
On Tuesday morning, Pakistani ambassador Imran Ali said in a video that he had visited some of those injured at three local hospitals and described their conditions as “relatively safe”.
He also advised Pakistani residents of Oman to avoid al-Wadi al-Kabir and to co-operate with local authorities.
Mr Ali later told AFP news agency that the attackers had initially opened fire from a building next to the mosque, where hundreds of people had gathered for a prayer service.
The worshippers were held “hostage” by militants before “they were later freed by Omani forces”, he said.
India’s embassy said it had been informed by the Omani foreign ministry that one Indian national had been killed and another injured, without identifying them.
The shooting happened on the night of the ninth day of the Islamic month of Muharram, when Shia Muslims attend rituals on the eve of Ashura. Ashura is a major commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in a battle in the seventh century.
Some of the worshippers in the courtyard can be heard shouting “O God”, “O Hussein” and “I am here, O Hussein” in the video filmed inside the Imam Ali Mosque as the attack unfolded.
Oman that has long been seen as one of the most stable and secure countries in the Middle East. This has allowed it to play a leading role in mediation efforts to try to resolve conflicts and disputes in the region.
The Gulf sultanate has a population of about 4.6 million, of which more than 40% are foreign workers.
The government does not publish statistics about religious affiliation.
However, the US state department estimates that 95% of the population is Muslim, with 45% Sunni, 45% Ibadi and 5% Shia. Hindus, Buddhists and Christians make up the remaining 5%.
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