RIYADH-
Two Saudi policemen died in a shootout with suspects after masked gunmen killed five Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia during an Ashura congregation, security sources said Tuesday.
The minority Shia community was left shocked and fearful after the unprecedented attack that highlighted sectarian tensions in the kingdom.
A witness, who said he saw two of the bodies, said one was a nine-year-old boy.
The policemen were killed when they came under “heavy gunfire” in Qassim region, north of the capital Riyadh, following the attack, said the interior ministry.
Two suspects were also killed, the ministry said.
Officers rounded up 15 suspects in several cities after the initial shooting late Monday in Eastern Province, which came as Shias prepared to mark the peak of Ashura.
Nine other worshippers were wounded in the attack.
Three assailants fired machineguns and pistols at the crowd in the village of Al-Dalwa, police told the official SPA news agency.
Footage posted online showed corpses lying in pools of blood after the attack in the oil-rich eastern region, where most of Saudi Arabia’s two million Shias live.
Bloodstains were seen on the carpet of the hall where the commemorations were being held.
Members of Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority clash sporadically with police in their region. But Monday’s shooting was the first direct assault against them by unknown gunmen.
“It’s very surprising because it’s the first time,” said Nasima al-Sada, a resident of Eastern Province. “We are shocked.”
A witness, who reported hearing sustained gunfire during the attack, said the Shia community feels helpless and fearful.
“All (the) people are really worried,” he said, asking to remain anonymous. “We know they hate us,” he said, referring to extremists.
‘Attack on our unity’
Saudi Arabia’s supreme council of Sunni clerics condemned Monday’s attack as “criminal”, urging Saudis to “close ranks in standing up against the treacherous criminals”.
“The enemies of our religion and our homeland aim to attack our unity and stability,” the council said.
Predominantly-Shia Iran condemned the attack.
“The Saudi government must ensure the security of religious ceremonies and identify and punish those responsible for this terrorist act,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in a statement carried by ISNA news agency.
Protests and sporadic attacks on security forces have wracked Shia areas of Eastern Province where the minority community complains of marginalisation.
Tensions escalated last month after a Saudi court handed down a death sentence against leading Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a driving force behind the demonstrations.
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