Indian national among 9 dead in Oman mosque attack

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An Indian national has been identified as one of the nine victims of the shooting incident that shook Muscat, Oman on July 15.

The official social media handle of the Embassy of India in Oman informed on July 16 that the Foreign Ministry of Sultanate of Oman has informed that one Indian national lost his life while another sustained injury in the mosque attack.

The embassy statement read, “Following the shooting incident reported in Muscat city on 15 July, the Foreign Ministry of Sultanate of Oman has informed that one Indian national has lost his life & another is injured. Embassy offers its sincere condolences & stands ready to offer all assistance to the families.”

In a rare breach of security, multiple attackers entered a Shiite mosque in Oman on Monday and killed nine people including four Pakistani nationals too and leaving several others injured.

The Royal Oman Police said the shooting occurred Monday night in the Wadi Kabir neighborhood of the capital, Muscat. The state-run Oman News Agency said three attackers were killed.

The shooting occurred on the eve of Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith. The day falls in the Islamic month of Muharram, one of the holiest months for Shiite Muslims.

Such violence is unusual in the sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

(With agency inputs)