 "Shooting near Oman mosque kills four; Here's a look at major mosque attacks in 2024")
A shooting near a mosque in Oman early Tuesday killed at least four people and wounded several others in a rare act of violence in the Gulf nation, police said.
The attack occurred in Wadi al-Kabir, a district east of the capital, Muscat, during a major religious event for Shia Muslims.
Video footage from the scene shows people fleeing near the Imam Ali Mosque as gunfire rings out. A voice can be heard saying, “Oh God!”
Omani police said they are taking “all necessary security measures and procedures … to handle the situation.” They reported an initial casualty toll of four dead and “several” injured.
Authorities are gathering evidence and conducting investigations to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident, police said on social media platform X.
No motive or suspects were immediately identified. A state of emergency was declared in the area.
The attack comes as Shiites mark Ashura, an annual day of mourning commemorating the 7th-century martyrdom of Hussein. Many observe Ashura with pilgrimages to Imam Hussein’s shrine in Karbala, Iraq. Sunni Muslims also commemorate the day through fasting.
Violent incidents are rare in Oman, a country known for its role as a mediator in regional conflicts.
While Mosque attacks in Oman are quite unusual, such is not the case for the rest of West Asia (Middle East) and adjacent regions. Here’s a look at major mosque attacks in the countries here since 2024:
Impact Shorts
More ShortsJanuary 5: On January 3, 2024, a commemorative ceremony marking the killing of Qasem Soleimani at his grave in eastern Kerman, Iran, was attacked by two bomb explosions. The attacks killed at least 94 people and injured 284 others. The first bombing happened around the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque in the eastern outskirts of Kerman.
April 30: A gunman stormed a mosque in western Afghanistan and killed six people, a government spokesman said. The mosque belonged to Afghanistan’s minority Shia community. Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said “an unknown armed person shot at civilian worshippers in a mosque” at about 9 pm in Andisheh town of Guzara district in Herat province. Later, the ISIL (ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack.
July 15: At least 22 people were killed in a strike that hit a makeshift mosque in a displacement camp in west Gaza City, according to an official at the hospital treating the casualties. The head of the emergency room of Al-Ahli Hospital, Dr. Amjad Elewa, told CNN that 20 men were killed in the strike on the field mosque in Al Shati camp, and two more men died on Sunday in the hospital from their injuries.
With inputs from agencies
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