Blast reported outside Prophet's mosque in Saudi city of Medina
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 4 July 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Blast reported outside Prophet's mosque in Saudi city of Medina, 4 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a43c4215.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
July 04, 2016
Saudi media have reported a suicide bombing near the Prophet's Mosque, one of the Islam's holiest sites, in the Saudi city of Medina.
The Sabq news agency said the attack took place in the evening on July 4, on the same day suicide bombings struck in two other Saudi cities without killing anyone.
Al-Arabiya TV said the bomber detonated his device as the security officers at the site were breaking their daylong fast for the holy Islamic month of Ramadan.
Video footage posted on social media showed a blazing vehicle at the scene of the attack.There were no immediate comments from Saudi officials.
Al-Arabiya said two security officers and the attacker were killed in the blast.
The sprawling mosque is the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad. Millions of Muslims from around the world visit the mosque each year during pilgrimages to Mecca.
Medina the second-holiest city in Islam after Mecca.
The blast in Medina followed two explosions in the eastern city of Qatif and a blast near the U.S. Consulate in the kingdom's second city of Jeddah on July 4.
Residents in the predominantly Shi'ite city of Qatif said a suicide bomber and a car bomb struck a neighborhood there, but that no injuries were immediately reported.
The Associated Press quoted local resident Muhammad al-Nimr as saying the bomber detonated his suicide vest in the evening when most residents were at home breaking the Ramadan fast.
In the Jeddah attack early on July 4, a suicide bomber blew himself up when security guards approached him near the parking lot of a hospital, the Interior Ministry said.
The attacker died and two security men suffered minor injuries, the ministry said in a statement.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for any of the attacks.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, the BBC, and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
