A suicide bomber attacked a mosque inside a local security force headquarters in Abha, the capital of Asir province near the Yemeni border. The Guardian reports that, “Ten members of emergency services and three mosque workers killed when a bomber detonated vest during noon prayers in Asir.”
The attack is the third such attack in Saudi Arabia on a mosque in 2015
According to the Independent, Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour al-Turki said initial findings point to the attack “being carried out by a suicide bomber in an explosive vest” at a mosque used “principally for a state security unit called the Special Emergency Force.”
A photo of the attack on the mosque circulated via social media. At least 13 are dead.
Two previous attacks were carried out in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern province on May 22 and May 29 on Shi’ite mosques. A third bombing in Kuwait carried the hallmark of the May attacks and appeared aimed at stoking sectarian hatred. Three Saudi brothers were arrested in connection with that attack on June 3rd.
It is not yet clear who carried out the attack and no group has yet claimed it, however, last month Saudi authorities arrested 431 suspected members of ISIS, accusing them of plotting suicide attacks on security forces and mosques in various parts of the country, according to the BBC.
