4 folks have been killed and several other others wounded in a capturing close to a mosque in Oman’s capital, Muscat, police say.
A short assertion issued in a single day stated officers had responded to the incident and had been now conducting “investigations to uncover the circumstances”.
In movies posted on social media, gunfire could be heard and police seen within the neighborhood of the Imam Ali mosque, the place Shia Muslims had gathered to mark the beginning of the holy day of Ashura.
The police supplied no particulars concerning the identities of the attacker and the victims, in addition to the obvious motive. However Pakistan’s ambassador recommended that its residents had been among the many wounded.
Imran Ali stated in a video that he had visited some in three native hospitals and described their situations as “comparatively protected”.
He additionally suggested Pakistani residents of Oman to keep away from al-Wadi al-Kabir and to co-operate with native authorities.
The US embassy warned US residents to be vigilant and cancelled visa appointments on Tuesday as a security precaution.
Such violence is uncommon in Oman, a Gulf state that has lengthy been seen as one of the crucial secure and safe international locations within the Center East. This has allowed it to play a number one function in mediation efforts to attempt to resolve conflicts and disputes within the area.
The sultanate has a inhabitants of about 4.6 million, of which greater than 40% are international employees.
The federal government doesn’t publish statistics about non secular affiliation.
Nevertheless, the US state division estimates that 95% of the inhabitants is Muslim, with 45% Sunni, 45% Ibadi and 5% Shia. Hindus, Buddhists and Christians make up the remaining 5%.
