Deadly terror shooting near mosque in Muscat kills six

TDT | Agencies

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A terrorist shooting near a Shiite mosque in Muscat, the capital of Oman, claimed the lives of nine people, including a police officer and three militants, and eft nearly 30 others wounded yesterday.

The attack occurred as hundreds of worshippers gathered for prayer, leading to a tense hostage situation. Omani forces swiftly conducted a commando operation to free the hostages, sending shockwaves across one of the Middle East’s most secure nations.

The attack, which has yet to be claimed, reportedly started with gunfire from a building adjacent to the mosque as hundreds of people gathered for prayers.

The worshippers were held “hostage” by militants before “they were later freed by Omani forces,” Pakistan’s ambassador to Oman Imran Ali told AFP.

He said there was little information on the perpetrators of the attack or their possible motive. Social media footage shows people fleeing the Imam Ali Mosque, its minaret visible, as gunshots ring out.

A voice can be heard saying “oh God” and repeating “oh Hussein.” Shortly after, the US embassy in Muscat issued a security alert following the shooting and canceled all visa appointments for Tuesday.

“US citizens should remain vigilant, monitor local news and heed directions of local authorities,” it posted on X. Royal Oman Police, in a statement, said they have “responded to a shooting incident that occurred in the vicinity of a mosque in the Al-Wadi Al-Kabir area” of the capital.

The three gunmen behind the attack were killed and police officers have “concluded the procedures for dealing with the shooting,” it said. Police said “all necessary security measures and procedures have been taken to handle the situation” following the attack.

“The authorities are continuing to gather evidence and conduct investigations to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident,” police added on X. It said 28 people “from various nationalities” were wounded, including rescuers and paramedics. The foreign ministry in Islamabad said at least four Pakistanis were killed.

“Four Pakistanis were martyred as a result of gunshots in the dastardly terrorist attack on the Ali bin Abi Talib mosque,” it said in a statement. “Another 30 Pakistanis are under treatment in hospitals.” Pakistan’s ambassador to Oman Imran Ali said the mosque was mostly frequented by South Asian expatriates.

Oman is home to at least 400,000 Pakistanis, he said. Earlier on Tuesday, Ali toured hospitals treating the wounded. In a video message on X, he urged Pakistanis in Oman to cooperate with the authorities and avoid the area around the mosque.

“We are in touch with Omani authorities as well as hospitals. Our officers are on standby for emergency blood donations in the embassy,” he said, adding that a hotline has been set up to assist the wounded and their relatives.

Oman has a population of more than four million, of whom upwards of 40 percent are expat workers, mostly from South Asia, according to government figures.