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Terror strikes in Saudi: explosions rock mosques in Medina and Qatif

Aleesha Matharu | Updated on: 10 February 2017, 1:49 IST
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Terror strikes in Saudi Arabia: suicide bomber kills at least two outside Prophet's Mosque in Medina
Terror in Saudi: suicide bombers target mosques in Medina and Qatif, and US Consulate in Jeddah

The past week's non-stop spate of terror strikes continued on Monday, 4 July. This time, it was Saudi Arabia which was at the receiving end of the attacks, as a suicide bomber attacked the holy city of Medina, killing at least four security guards just outside the Prophet's Mosque.

The sprawling mosque, where Prophet Muhammad is buried, is visited by millions of Muslims from around the world each year. The area would have been teeming with pilgrims for prayer during the final days of the holy month of Ramzan, which ends this week.

Two other explosions struck near a mosque in the eastern city of Qatif on the Gulf coast on Monday evening, reports said.

Witnesses said a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Shia mosque without causing any other injuries.

They reported seeing body parts lying on the ground in the city's business district. "Suicide bomber for sure. I can see the body," a witness told AFP.

Third attack of the day

Earlier on Monday, another suicide bomber had carried out an attack near a US diplomatic site in the western Saudi city of Jeddah, according to the Interior Ministry.

The suicide bomber was killed and two other people wounded.

Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour al-Turki was quoted in the statement as saying that the attacker caught the attention of the security guards, who noticed he was acting suspiciously at an intersection located on the corner of the heavily fortified US Consulate in Jeddah.

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed there were no casualties or injuries among the consular staff. The embassy said it remains in contact with Saudi authorities as they investigate the attack.

No one has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks just yet.

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First published: 5 July 2016, 1:27 IST
Saudi Arabia Medina Jeddah muslim mosque us embassy Aleesha Matharu
 
Aleesha Matharu @almatharu

Born in Bihar, raised in Delhi and schooled in Dehradun, Aleesha writes on a range of subjects and worked at The Indian Express before joining Catch as a sub-editor. When not at work you can find her glued to the TV, trying to clear a backlog of shows, or reading her Kindle. Raised on a diet of rock 'n' roll, she's hit occasionally by wanderlust. After an eight-year stint at Welham Girls' School, Delhi University turned out to be an exercise in youthful rebellion before she finally trudged her way to J-school and got the best all-round student award. Now she takes each day as it comes, but isn't an eternal optimist.
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