9 killed in Oman Shi'ite mosque shooting, Islamic State claims responsibility

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Nine people were killed, including three attackers, and more than two dozen others were injured in an assault on a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Oman late on Monday, law enforcement said, in a rare security breach in the oil producing Gulf state.

Four Pakistanis , an Indian and a police officer were among those killed in the gun attack, according to Pakistani, Indian and Omani officials. The Oman police said 28 people of various nationalities were wounded, including security personnel.

A video on social media verified by Reuters showed people running away from the mosque while gunshots could be heard.

Police have not said whether they have identified a motive for the attack or if they had made any arrests. The identity of the attackers has also not been released.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said the attack took place at the Ali bin Abi Talib mosque. A local source said it was also known as Imam Ali mosque, a Shi'ite place of worship in Ibadi-ruled Oman, which has a small but influential Shi'ite minority.

Describing the incident in the Wadi al-Kabir district of Oman's capital Muscat as a "terrorist" attack, the Pakistani ministry said 30 survivors were being treated in hospitals.

The attack came as Shi'ite Muslims observed Ashura, an annual period of mourning to commemorate the 7th century death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad. The observation of Ashura has sometimes triggered sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in some Middle East countries, though not typically in Oman where the Ibadi sect promotes tolerance.

Most Omanis adhere to the Ibadi faith, which is a branch of Islam that has much in common with mainstream Sunni Islam.

'Unprecedented'

"This is a very unprecedented event... the likes of it we have not seen in Oman's history," said Pakistan's Ambassador to Muscat, Imran Ali, expressing gratitude to law enforcement and hospital staff.

The ambassador earlier visited some victims in hospital.

He said most of the 30 victims there were being treated for gunshot wounds while others had suffered injuries fleeing the attack, including being crushed in the stampede.

Some Pakistanis were detained by law enforcement while fleeing the attack and were later released, though others remained in detention, Ali said, adding he was not aware of any arrests or whether a motive for the attack had been identified.

Pakistan has offered Oman its full assistance in the investigation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X.

The U.S. embassy in Muscat said it was following the situation closely.

"U.S. citizens should remain vigilant, monitor local news and heed directions of local authorities," it said in a statement.

Oman has maintained its neutrality in the turbulent region and mediated in disputes, including between the United States and Iran.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Oman, where at least six people, including a policeman, were killed and 28 wounded, in a rare operation in one of the most stable countries in the Middle East, the group said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday.

Any infiltration into Sunni-dominated Oman, which sits on one side of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping route, would raise fears of Islamic State trying to gain a foothold in the oil-rich Gulf. — Reuters