Four people were killed when a car exploded near a Shi’ite mosque in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. Authorities, however, said militants failed in their bid to hit the mosque itself.
The attack targetted worshippers in al-Anoud mosque during Friday prayers, a ministry spokesperson said, quoted by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Security forces became suspicious of a car parked near the mosque which exploded as they walked towards it, killing four people and setting cars beside it on fire, SPA said. One of those killed is suspected of being the driver.
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.
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 if the bomber was among the four dead.
(With inputs from agencies)
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