Riyadh: Masked gunmen opened fire on a group of people in the east of Saudi Arabia, killing five and wounding nine others in an apparent sectarian attack directed at the kingdom's Shiite minority, the state news agency and witnesses said Tuesday.
The official Saudi Press Agency said the attack happened late Monday evening in the village of al-Dalwah, which is located in the country's al-Ahsa province. The area is one of the main centers for Saudi Arabia's minority Shiite community.
The attackers shot the victims with pistols and machine guns, according to the news agency. It provided no further details on the identities of the attackers or the victims, and said an investigation is underway.
Witnesses said the attack happened inside a Shiite shrine as worshippers were marking Ashoura, which commemorates the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who is revered by Shiites. Sunni militants in neighboring Iraq frequently target Shiites, whom they consider heretics, during the holiday.
The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals.
