5 killed in Saudi Shiite shooting claimed by IS

A gunman killed five people at a Shiite gathering in eastern Saudi Arabia before being shot dead by police, the interior ministry said, in an attack claimed by a group linked to Islamic State militants.

It was the latest in a series of bombings and shootings linked to the Sunni extremist group in Saudi Arabia over the past year.

The murders yesterday, in the Qatif area of Eastern Province, came two days after the start of commemorations of Ashura, one of the holiest occasions for the Shiite faith, a minority in Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.

“As (a) result of his shooting, five citizens... were killed, including a woman. Nine others were wounded,” an interior ministry spokesman said in a statement.

He said that at about 7:00 pm yesterday a suspect with an automatic weapon “started to shoot randomly” at a Shiite hall used for commemorations in the Saihat area of Qatif city. 

Police intervened and opened fire, killing the suspect, the spokesman said without giving details about the attacker. “The situation is still under investigation,” he said.