Suicide bombing near Saudi Shiite mosque kills 4

In this still image taken from video provided by Saudi TV, burnt out cars are seen as investigators collect evidence, in the aftermath of a suicide bomb outside the the Imam Hussein mosque in the port city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 29, 2015.
In this still image taken from video provided by Saudi TV, burnt out cars are seen as investigators collect evidence, in the aftermath of a suicide bomb outside the the Imam Hussein mosque in the port city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 29, 2015.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- A suicide bomber disguised as a woman blew himself up in the parking lot of a Shiite mosque during Friday prayers, killing four people in the second such attack in as many weeks claimed by the Islamic State.

The attack and a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque that killed 21 people last Friday appeared aimed at fanning sectarianism and destabilizing the kingdom. Both attacks took place in the oil-rich east, which has a sizable Shiite community that has long complained of discrimination.

The Islamic State views Shiites as apostates deserving of death and also seeks the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy, which it considers corrupt and illegitimate.

Saudi Arabia had vowed to crack down on the extremists after last week's bombing, and authorities appeared keen to claim credit for preventing the bomber from entering the Imam Hussein Mosque, the only Shiite mosque in the port city of Dammam. The state-run Saudi Press Agency said security guards halted a car in the parking lot and that the bomber detonated his explosives as they approached.

Witnesses said, however, that worshippers had taken their own security measures, including setting up checkpoints, and that young men had detected the bomber and chased him down, leading him to set off the explosion. It was unclear whether the bomber was among the four dead.

A security official said the attacker had disguised himself in the black, all-encompassing garments worn by women in Saudi Arabia and blew himself up after being stopped by security guards. The official insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Mohammed Idris, a worshipper who witnessed the attack, said by telephone that the suicide bomber attempted to enter the mosque but was chased by young men who had set up checkpoints at the entrance.

"They chased the suicide bomber when he tried to enter the women's section of the mosque," he said.

Another witness, who did not want to be named because of security concerns, said security had been tightened at mosques after last week's attack and that women were told to stay home because there were not enough female guards to check them.

The Islamic State, in claiming responsibility for the attack, said it was carried out by its "Najd Province," referring to a region in the central Arabian Peninsula. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has repeatedly called for attacks on the Saudi kingdom.

A statement posted on a Facebook page used by the extremist group said a "soldier of the caliphate," identified as Abu Jandal al-Jazrawi, blew himself up among "an evil gathering of those filth in front of one of their shrines in Dammam."

The name al-Jazrawi suggests that the bomber is a Saudi national.

It called on Sunnis to "purify the land of the two shrines from the atheist rafida," a derogatory term for Shiites.

Last Friday, an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 21 people in the village of al-Qudeeh, in the oil-rich eastern Qatif region.

It was the deadliest militant assault in the kingdom in more than a decade.

Saudi Arabia's newly enthroned King Salman vowed to punish those responsible for the "heinous terrorist attack."

Interior Ministry official Bassam Attiyah said earlier this week that the Islamic State has divided the kingdom into five self-styled provinces.

He said on state TV that the group's short-term plans are to target the security forces and attack Shiites to foment sectarian strife. Then they plan to target foreigners, including those working in the OPEC member's oil industry, he said.

"What we are seeing now is the short-term plans," he said.

Saudi Arabia branded the Islamic State a terrorist group last year and has joined the U.S.-led coalition targeting it in Syria and Iraq.

Shiites in Saudi Arabia have long complained of discrimination and say their communities have benefited little from the country's vast oil riches, which are also concentrated in the east.

Saudi Arabia views Shiite movements elsewhere in the Middle East as proxies of its main regional rival, Shiite-majority Iran.

It is currently leading a coalition in bombing raids against Shiite rebels in neighboring Yemen who seized the capital, Sanaa, last year.

Information for this article was contributed by Maggie Michael, Reem Khalifa and Adam Schreck of The Associated Press.

A Section on 05/30/2015

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