The security forces in Saudi Arabia preempted a terrorist incident from taking place near the Grand Mosque. The terrorist blew himself up in a neighborhood nearby the Grand Mosque. The security forces surrounded a home near the Grand Mosque and left no other place for the suspect to run away. The security forces did try to arrest the suspect live. However, he refused to cooperate with the authorities. In retaliation, the security forces had to open fire.
Terrorist Incident and Impact of the Explosion
The explosion caused by the suspected terrorist resulted in the partial collapse of the building. The explosion led to injuring six expatriates, who were taken to the hospital. Five of the securities force personnel got minor injuries. A Saudi Press official unveiled the details.
The terrorist incident had involvement of six people. One of the suspects was a woman, and five were men. There were three groups involved in the planning of the event. Two of the groups are in Mecca and one in Jeddah.
Grand Mosque or Masjid al-Haram is considered one of the holiest places for the Muslims all over the world. The area surrounds Kaaba, a shrine that millions of Muslim worshippers visit each year.
Doubts of Foreign Elements Involvement
Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry points to the involvement of foreign elements. However, the authorities are still working to authenticate the identity of those involved. The Foreign Minister of UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan criticized the attack.
Mosques Targeted Before in Saudi Arabia Too
The terrorist incident points to the fact that there have been attempts to attack the two mosques in Saudi Arabia. Back in October last year, Saudi security forces apprehended two groups planning to attack a World Cup qualifying match in the Kingdom.
The suicide bombings took place back in July in three different cities including Qatif, Jeddah, and Medina. Similarly, an unfortunate attack took place in Jan 2016 within a Shia Mosque named of Al-Ahsa. However, no one took responsibility for those heinous attacks. Furthermore, 13 people lost their lives in an explosion in Asir in August 2015.
ISIS took responsibility for two attacks in May 2015. Around 21 people died in Qudayh at Imam Ali Mosque. In the other incident, a man disguising as a woman took lives of three people. The incident took place outside a mosque in Dammam.
The current incident seems to show some progress made by the Saudi security forces. However, there is a lot of work that needs to be done to get rid of the menace of terrorism.
