RIYADH: Two ‘terrorists’ died in a vehicle explosion on Thursday in a Saudi Arabian community dominated by minority Shias, a foreign ministry official said.
The cause of the blast has not been confirmed. It was the latest incident in Qatif, where Islamic State group has carried out deadly attacks in recent years but where Shia discontent has also raged.
“Two wanted terrorists were killed in the explosion,” Faisal bin Farhan, an adviser to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on his personal Twitter account.
Saudi authorities use the term ‘terrorist’ to apply not only to IS but also to those in the Eastern Province engaged in criminal activity, attacks on security forces, and anti-government protest.
“The explosion was very huge,” a witness told foreign media agencies, asking not to be identified.
Armoured and other police vehicles sealed off the area after the blast, the witness said. Video and photographs posted on social media showed a vehicle engulfed in flames in the middle of a street, with dense black smoke rising around it.