Suicide attackers launch wave of strikes in Saudi Arabia
Updated 11:43 AM ET, Tue July 5, 2016
(CNN)Three suicide attacks in 24 hours -- that's how Saudis will remember the end of Ramadan, a month that has seen the wider region plunged into a wave of terror-related violence.
The attacks -- including one in Medina, one of the holiest
sites in Islam -- follow massive jihadi assaults from Turkey
to Iraq that have been been tied to ISIS. Analysts believe
events in Saudi Arabia could also be the work of the terror
group.
There has been no claim of responsibility so far.
Two of the attacks failed but four people were killed in the
third, all of which appear to be coordinated -- targeting
both Saudi security forces and Western interests.
Ramadan violence
The first occurred before dawn near the U.S. Consulate in
Jeddah. The attacker killed only himself after detonating an
explosive according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
Policemen were injured in the attack.
The Saudi Interior Ministry identified the Jeddah bomber
as Pakistani national Abdullah Qlazar Khan.
The ministry said the 34-year-old man blew himself up
with an explosives belt. He lived in Jeddah with his
wife and one of her parents. He came to Saudi Arabia 12
years ago to work as a driver, Saudi officials said.
In Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia, a suicide bomber
attempted to launch an attack at a Shiite mosque but
failed, killing himself in the process, according to an
official with knowledge of the event. There were no
injuries.
The deadliest occurred in Medina, where four people were
killed and another person was wounded, according to an
official with knowledge of the event. The city is a
major spot in Islam because that's where the Prophet
Mohammed is buried.
The bomber, who died in the explosion, targeted security
officers, but it is unknown precisely who was killed,
the source said.
Suspicions point to ISIS
The strikes come as the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan ends and Americans celebrate the Fourth of July,
the U.S. independence day.
They follow dramatic attacks last week in Turkey,
Bangladesh, Yemen and Iraq, that killed scores of people.
They are claimed or thought to be carried out by ISIS.
Tim Lister, a CNN expert on Middle East affairs, said the
Saudi attacks fit the "modus operandi" of ISIS and the
kingdom represents "a real target to show" ISIS "can punch
above its weight."
"Saudi Arabia is a big target for them. They have a lot of
Saudi fighters in their ranks. They regard the Saudi
monarchy as having betrayed Islam."
The group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing last
August that ripped through a mosque belonging to a special
emergency force in the southwestern part of the country,
killing at least 13 people and leaving nine others wounded.
The kingdom's special emergency force, answering to the
Interior Ministry, comprises quick-response security
officers used for a variety of situations, including
rescues, riot control and other police actions. ISIS'
statement claims the emergency force played a significant
role in torturing ISIS supporters.
Peter Bergen, CNN national security analyst, said ISIS
called for attacks during Ramadan and "now we have them."
Attacking a Shiite mosque, a U.S. entity and the holy city
of Medina are meant to embarrass the Saudis. The attack on
Medina specifically undercuts the royal Saudi family's claim
to be the "protectors of the two holy places," Bergen said,
a reference to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina.
But, Bergen said, a suicide attack in Medina couldn't be
more counterproductive because the attack took place at a
revered Muslim location during Ramadan. It would seem
senseless to undertake that kind of action, he said, and he
expects it would be greeted with "strong condemnation and
puzzlement" by the Muslim faithful.
Around the world, the hashtag
#PrayForMedina has been retweeted thousands of times, as
Muslims responded with outrage and horror to the attack near
Islam's second most holy site.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/04/middleeast/saudi-arabia-jeddah-bomb/index.html