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Four Pakistanis killed in shooting near Oman mosque
Monday’s mosque attack, which has yet to be claimed, came as Shia Muslims were marking Ashura to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
“The Royal Oman Police have responded to a shooting incident that occurred in the vicinity of a mosque in the Al-Wadi Al-Kabir area” of the capital, police said in a statement. The force gave an initial toll of four killed and “several” wounded.
“The authorities are continuing to gather evidence and conduct investigations to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident,” police added on X.
The area was cordoned off on Tuesday, with journalists unable to access the mosque, an AFP photographer reported.
Oman has a population of over four million, more than 40 percent of whom are expatriate workers, most of them from south Asia, according to government figures.
Such an attack is rare in Oman, which regularly plays mediating roles in regional conflicts.
The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry in a statement on Tuesday condemned the shooting incident.