QATIF/MEDINA: Two back to back suicide blasts struck mosques in Saudi cities of Qatif and Medina on Monday.
In the first attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia on Monday, without causing any other injuries, residents told AFP.
“Suicide bomber for sure. I can see the body” torn apart, said a witness to the attack in the Shiite-populated city of Qatif.
Nasima al-Sada, another resident, told AFP that “one bomber blew himself up near the mosque”, frequented by Shiites in downtown Qatif, on the Gulf coast.
No bystanders were hurt, she said.
The blast, near the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, was the second suicide bombing Monday in the predominantly Sunni kingdom.
Another bomber blew himself up earlier near the US consulate in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, injuring two security officers.
A second suicide blast hit security headquarters at Masjid-e-Nabvi in Medina shortly after Iftar.
According to reports, suicide bomber detonated a device near the security headquarters of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, the second-holiest site in Islam
The blast followed others in Qatif and Jeddah on Monday, the last day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan and start
of the Eid al-Fitra festival.
Pictures circulating on social media showed dark smoke billowing from flames near the mosque.
Casualties are feared in the blast, causing a stampede in the area.
TV footage showed people rushing out of the mosque.
This comes a day after Saudi diplomatic forces thwarted a suicide attack on US consulate in Jeddah.
The suicide bomber was killed and two security officials were wounded.
There is no word about the nature of the blast.
Shahid Khawar Malik, an eyewitness said that the blast took place at Gate No 1 of the mosque.
