Suicide Bomber kills 25 and injures 25 in attack on Shiite mosque in Kuwait City

 

At least 25 worshippers have been killed today after an Islamic State suicide bomber struck at a packed Kuwaiti mosque after Friday prayers.

Shocking photos show dozens of dead and wounded Muslims who were all observing the holy month of Ramadan in the Al-Imam al-Sadeq Shiite mosque in Kuwait City.

Witnesses said worshippers were standing shoulder-to-shoulder in group prayer when the bomb ripped through the building.

The ISIS-affiliated group in Saudi Arabia, calling itself Najd Province, said its militant Abu Suleiman al-Muwahhid carried out the suicide bombing.

He was seen walking in to the back of the mosque during prayers, before standing among his victims and blowing himself up.  

   

 

 

 

The group said the mosque was targeted because they believe it was spreading Shiite teachings among Sunni Muslims.  ISIS, a radical Sunni Muslim group, considers Shiites to be heretics. 

Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has reportedly visited the Imam Sadiq Mosque following a suicide bombing in al-Sawaber.

This week ISIS promised 'paradise' and 'rewards in heaven' for those who carry out Ramadan attacks.

Najd Province claimed similar bombings against Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.

Last month, the group claimed two deadly bombings against Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia, both of which took place during the weekly Friday prayers.

ISIS has also claimed several such attacks against Shiites in Yemen, the last of which was just a week ago.

On June 17, it claimed five simultaneous bombings at Shiite mosques and offices in Sanaa that killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens. But Friday's attack is the first of its kind in oil-rich Kuwait. 

One eyewitness said today that he saw at least 10 dead bodies lying close together.

Police formed a cordon around the mosque's complex immediately after the explosion, banning people from entering or gathering near the area. 

Ambulances could be seen ferrying the wounded from the site.

Hassan al-Haddad, 21, said: 'We couldn't see anything, so we went straight to the wounded and tried to carry them out. We left the dead'.

Abdullah al-Saffar, who was at the mosque, said the explosion took place just after midday Friday prayers. 

Friday midday prayers are typically the most crowded of the week, and attendance increases during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which started last week.

Another witness, Ahmad al-Shawaf, said worshippers were standing shoulder to shoulder in group prayer when the explosion struck near the door of the mosque, behind some of the worshippers. 

Al-Shawaf said the explosion took place near the end of a second prayer that is traditional to Shiites and that follows the main midday Friday prayer.

He said witnesses standing behind him said they saw a man walk in, stand in the back with other congregants and detonate his device.

Mohammed al-Faili, 32, said that his 70 year-old father was killed in the explosion and two of his brothers were also wounded. 

He said he was not at the mosque at the time of the explosion but was heading to the morgue to identify his father's body. 

Kuwaiti Justice, Religious Endowment and Islamic Affairs Minister Yacoub al-Sanna described the attack as a 'terrorist and cowardly action which threatens our nation and works at tearing apart the national unity.'

Al-Sanna told the official state agency KUNA that, the government would take all necessary measure to ensure protection of houses of worship. 'Kuwait was and will remain the oasis of security and safety to all components of the Kuwaiti society and sects,' he said.