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| Arabia |
| Police arrest 9 suspects in Al-Ahsa attack |
| 2014-11-05 |
[ARABNEWS] Security forces on Tuesday tossed in the calabooseDon't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! nine suspects in a bloody attack on a Shiite gathering in the Eastern Province, a police official said. The attack happened late Monday evening in the village of Al-Dalwah in Al-Ahsa governorate. A Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report earlier said the attackers shot the victims with pistols and machine guns, killing at least five people and wounding several others. SPA quoted an unnamed Interior Ministry official as saying six suspects had been arrested near Riyadh, and in two areas in the country's east for having links to what it called a "terrorist crime." A police source told Arab News that three more suspects were also arrested and an investigation is under way. Witnesses said the attack happened inside a Shiite mosque as worshippers were marking Ashoura, a Shiite holy day. Sunni Lions of Islam in neighboring Iraq frequently target Shiites during the holiday. "As a group of citizens was leaving a building...three masked men shot up them with machine guns and pistols," a police front man said, adding that the incident was under investigation. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals. Amateur video posted online purported to show the inside of the Shiite mosque, called Husseiniya. Pools of could be seen on the floor and a witness held several spent rifle shell casings. "There is blood everywhere. They entered inside the Husseiniya and started to open fire with rifles," said one of the people in the video. The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed. A witness said two of the holy mans claimed to have been tipped off the attack warned two hours before it happened. A local rights activist said that the victims were mostly young men who were standing at the entrance of the local gathering place, known as Huseiniya, where the commemorative ceremony was taking place. |
| Posted by:Fred |