An Indian national was among six people killed in an attack on the Ali bin Abi Talib mosque in Muscat, the capital city of Oman. The Indian embassy in Muscat informed about the casualty and also stated that another Indian had been injured in the gun attack on the night of July 16.
Islamic State, the Sunni Muslim dominated militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The incident took place in the Al Wadi Al Kabir area on Monday night. The Indian Embassy in Muscat’s statement on the incident read, “Following the shooting incident reported in Muscat city on 15 July, the Foreign Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman has informed us that one Indian national has lost his life and another is injured. The Embassy offers its sincere condolences and stands ready to offer all assistance to the families.”
As per the Oman News Agency, three attackers have been killed. The Royal Oman Police (ROP) and the military and security services announced the conclusion of procedures for addressing the shooting incident, the Oman news agency said.
Four Pakistanis and a policeman were among those killed, and at least 28 other people from different nationalities were injured. The injured have been transferred to health institutions for treatment, it said, adding that investigations into the circumstances of the incident have begun.
The Times of Oman reported an eyewitness account at the time of the shooting: “The hall of the mosque was packed with hundreds of worshippers and the atmosphere was heavy with tension as the sound of panicked, labored breathing grew louder. The relentless firing of bullets echoed for over an hour, eventually becoming sporadic, but for nearly three hours, death loomed over us,” the Oman publication cited an eyewitness.
The expatriate recounted that around “500-600 people” were in the mosque courtyard when they first heard sounds that “resembled fireworks” and there were cries of “Bhaago, Bhaago [run, run].”
The Royal Oman Police expressed its condolences and sympathies to the families of the deceased, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
Such an attack is rare in Oman, a frequent regional mediator with a low crime rate. It comes during the Muslim day of Ashura, when Shia Muslims commemorate the seventh-century battlefield martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. Many Shias mark Ashura by performing a pilgrimage to Imam Hussein’s shrine in the Iraqi city of Karbala. Sunni Muslims commemorate the day through fasting.