Attackers of Oman mosque shooting were all local citizens, says state media

MUSCAT: Perpetrators in the shooting that targeted a mosque in Oman’s Wadi Al Kabir area near the capital Muscat were all Omani citizens, state news agency said on Thursday.

The attack left at least nine people dead including three attackers, four Pakistanis, an Indian, and a police officer, authorities said. Twenty-eight people of various nationalities were also wounded.

Gulf Arab states have condemned a deadly shooting — an unprecedented attack for the normally stable sultanate that has sparked concern among its neighbours. It was the first known operation claimed by Daesh in the sultanate.

The UAE expressed its “strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence”.

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A foreign ministry statement said the attack “undermines security and stability, and endangers” the lives of Omanis.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry called the shooting a “heinous attack that goes against all religious and moral values and aims to destabilise the security and stability of Oman”.

The secretary -eneral of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Al Budaiwi, “affirmed the full support and solidarity of GCC countries” with their fellow member state.

Saudi Arabia praised “the speed and efficiency” with which Omani authorities dealt with the shooting.