Daesh claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an assault on a mosque in Oman that left at least nine people dead, including three attackers.
Four Pakistanis, an Indian and a police officer were among those killed in the gun attack, according to Pakistani, Indian and Omani officials. The Oman police said 28 people of various nationalities were wounded, including security personnel.
The attack began on Monday evening at the Imam Ali mosque in the Wadi al-Kabir neighbourhood of Oman’s capital Muscat, authorities said.
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Daesh said in a statement late on Tuesday that three of its “suicide attackers” fired on worshippers at the mosque on Monday evening and exchanged gunfire with Omani security forces until morning.
The group also published what it said was a video of the attack on its Telegram site.
In a video on social media, several shots could be heard while people ran for cover. Watch it below:
“Investigations and inquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing,” police said in a statement after the shooting.
Police said “all necessary security measures and procedures have been taken to handle the situation” following the attack, on X.
The Pakistani foreign ministry said 30 survivors were being treated in hospitals, describing the event as a “terrorist” attack. However, it has not been termed so by Omani officials.
“This is a very unprecedented event … the likes of it we have not seen in Oman’s history,” Pakistan’s ambassador to Muscat, Imran Ali, said after visiting some victims in hospital.
He said most of the 30 victims there were being treated for gunshot wounds while others had suffered injuries fleeing the attack, including being crushed in a stampede.
Following the attack, the US embassy issued a security alert for American citizens in Oman, asking them to “remain vigilant, monitor local news and heed directions of local authorities.”