Omani brothers behind mosque attack with six dead: police

It was the first known operation by the IS group in the Sultanate, which is one of the most stable countries in the Middle East.

“The three perpetrators involved in the incident were Omani citizens and brothers,” the Omani police said in a statement on the social media platform X.

“They were killed because they persistently resisted security personnel,” the statement said. The attackers were “influenced by misguided ideas.”

In a statement on Tuesday, IS’s propaganda arm, Aamaq, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was aimed at “Shiites who were practicing their annual rituals to mark the holy mourning period of Ashura.”

She published a picture that allegedly shows the three perpetrators raising the group’s black flag.

Aamaq did not provide any information about her nationality.

Monday’s attack came ahead of Ashura, an annual day of mourning to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein in battle in the 7th century. Hussein was considered by Shiites to be the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

IS considers Shiites to be heretics.

There have been numerous attacks on Shiite mosques in the Gulf region in recent years, but this was the first in Oman.

More than two dozen worshippers were killed in a suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in Kuwait in 2015. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the same year, two attacks on Shiite mosques took place within a week in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, killing at least 25 people. This time, IS also claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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