IS affiliate claims deadly attack on Saudi Shias

Sunni extremists affiliated to the Islamic State group claimed Friday's attack on a Shia gathering in eastern Saudi Arabia, which police said left five people dead.

A group calling itself Islamic State-Bahrain State said in a statement that one of its "soldiers", Shughaa Al Dosari, "attacked a Shia infidel temple with an automatic weapon" in the Saihat area of Qatif city.

It warned that "infidels will not be safe in the peninsula of Mohammed," the Muslim prophet.

A suspect with an automatic weapon opened fire at a Shia meeting hall in Qatif city Friday evening, killing five people and wounding nine more, an interior ministry spokesman said.

Police intervened and shot him dead, the spokesman said without identifying him.

The attack in Eastern Province was the latest in a series of bombings and shootings linked to the Sunni extremist group in Saudi Arabia over the past year.

A video purportedly of the attack posted on YouTube showed terrified people, including many children, running frantically for cover as gun shots could be heard.

Ashura, which peaks late next week, marks the killing of Imam Hussein, Mohammed's grandson, by the army of Caliph Yazid in 680 AD.

Witness Ali Al Bahrani said the gunman fired at random at the faithful, who had been listening to a sermon.

Shias vow to commemorate Ashura

Meanwhile, Saudi Shias vowed yesterday to continue commemorating Ashura, one of their faith's holiest occasions.

Jaafar Al Abbad, the uncle of Buthaina Al Abbad, 22, the only woman killed, said she died a "martyr for the sake of her beliefs".

"She was about to graduate from university as a doctor. Now she is a martyr, and this is even better," he said.

"People are pouring in to congratulate her parents," said Abbad.

He echoed other Shias in saying that such attacks "will not deter us from continuing to observe our rituals".

Romain Caillet, a French expert on jihadists, said this was the first attack by this branch of IS in the Arabian Peninsula, and said the use of the name was in keeping with the group's aim of redrawing borders.

Centuries ago, "Bahrain" referred to a large part of modern Saudi Arabia's east, as well as the neighbouring kingdom with that name, he said.