On Monday
night, local state television reported a bomb exploded outside the Prophet’s
Mosque in the Saudi city of Medina one of the holiest sites in Islam. The
bomber himself, and at least two security officers were killed in the blast.
Multiple
videos flooding social media showed charred corpses lying next to the burning
husk of a car in the mosque’s car park, as police and ambulance sirens blared,
and hundreds of onlookers filmed footage on their smartphones.
Monday is the
last night of the holy month of Ramadan, and marks the beginning of Eid, the
biggest festival in the Muslim calendar.
Also known as Al-Masjid
an-Nabawi, the Prophet’s mosque is one of the holiest sites in Islam. It was
the second mosque ever built, with the aid of Mohammed himself, who lived in a
house next door. His tomb is still located there – sealed off from worshippers
– and an iconic green-painted dome has been built over it.
Other explosions took place
Monday in the port of Jeddah, and Qatif, an eastern city populated by the
predominantly-Sunni country’s embattled Shia minority.
The Jeddah blast occurred
outside the US consulate - the attack on a foreign target in years - and
resulted in wounds to two security officers, as well as the death of the
bomber.
In Qatif, the explosion was
next to a mosque, where people had gathered to evening prayers. So far, only
body parts, presumably belonging to the bomber, have been identified.
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