Attack on Mosque in Oman, One Indian National Killed
Pandemonium ensued during the assault causing several casualties prompting Oman to beef up security arrangements.
Oman which has been a stranger to religious-based attacks, was witness to just such an incident on Tuesday, July 16th, 2024. The assault occurred in early in the morning when gunmen opened fire at the Imam Ali Masjid in the Wadi Al Kabir locality of the national capital Muscat.
9 people succumbed to wounds in the deadly incident with nearly thirty others injured. Among the dead were 4 Pakistan citizens, 1 Indian national and a local police officer. 3 of the assailants too perished by self-inflicted injuries, or in plain terms, apparent suicide.
While Omani officials have been reluctant to call the incident a “terror attack”, Daesh, more commonly known as the Islamic State, has claimed responsibility for the bloody incident. The group also posted a video of the attack on its Telegram site. However, the organisation has not stated the motive behind the occurrence.
Investigations by Omani authorities are underway while they have stepped up security across the country. Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy has sounded a security alert for all American nationals living and working in Oman. The injured are receiving treatment at a Muscat hospital, many of whom were caught in a stampede during the shooting. It looks like terror groups are spreading their nefarious tentacles even to Islamic places of worship and that too, in relatively peaceful Muslim countries. Nobody appears to be safe when terrorists run amuck.
