Friday, Mar 29 2024 | Time 12:13 Hrs(IST)
image
World


Bomber planning to attack Mecca's Grand Mosque blows himself up - ministry

Bomber planning to attack Mecca's Grand Mosque blows himself up - ministry
File Photo Reuters

DUBAI, Jun 24 (Reuters) Saudi security forces today foiled a suicide attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, cornering the would-be attacker in an apartment, where he blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said. In a statement read on state television yesterday, the ministry said that three cells had planned the attack on worshippers and security forces at the mosque as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan nears its climax. The trapped would-be suicide bomber exchanged fire with the security forces, then set off explosives when he was surrounded in a house in the central Mecca neighbourhood of Ajyad al-Masafi near the mosque that had been used as the base for the attack, the ministry said. The building collapsed, injuring six foreigners and five members of the security forces. Earlier in the day, security forces had shot dead a wanted man at another suspected Islamist militant hideout in Mecca's al-Aseelah neighbourhood. The ministry also said a third cell had been broken up in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, but gave no further details. Five suspected militants including a woman were arrested, it said. The month of fasting ends with the Eid-al-Fitr holiday, expected to be on Sunday. Saudi monarchs usually spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in Mecca. Al Arabiya broadcast live footage of Muslim worshippers praying in the mosque, with no interruption. It was not immediately clear who was behind the plot to attack the mosque, but the Islamic State group, which wants to establish a theocratic caliphate ruled according to strict Islamic law, had in the past carried out attacks in the kingdom. In May last year, Saudi security forces shot dead two alleged Islamic State fighters outside Mecca, and two others blew themselves up outside Mecca. REUTERS PS 0403

More News
Trump speaks at wake of fallen NYPD officer, calls for return to 'law and order'

Trump speaks at wake of fallen NYPD officer, calls for return to 'law and order'

29 Mar 2024 | 11:35 AM

Washington, Mar 29 (UNI) Former President Donald Trump attended the wake of fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller on Thursday and called for a return to 'law and order' before claiming that the current justice system 'isn't working'.

see more..

US officials in early talks on funding peacekeeping force in post-war Gaza

29 Mar 2024 | 11:08 AM

Washington, Mar 29 (UNI) US government officials are exploring options for funding a multinational or Palestinian-led force to "stabilise" Gaza once the Israeli invasion is over, Politico reported, citing White House and Pentagon officials.

see more..

S Korean prez's approval rating unchanged at 34 pc: poll

29 Mar 2024 | 10:44 AM

Seoul, Mar 29 (UNI) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating stood unchanged at 34 percent this week compared to the previous week, a weekly poll showed on Friday.

see more..
1 killed, 27 injured in traffic accident in central Myanmar

1 killed, 27 injured in traffic accident in central Myanmar

29 Mar 2024 | 10:28 AM

Yangon, Mar 29 (UNI) One person was killed and 27 others were injured in a traffic accident in central Myanmar's Mandalay region on Thursday, local rescue officials said on Friday.

see more..
14 killed after Cyclone Gamane makes landfall in northern Madagascar

14 killed after Cyclone Gamane makes landfall in northern Madagascar

29 Mar 2024 | 10:25 AM

Antananarivo, Mar 29 (UNI) Fourteen people were killed and three others injured after tropical Cyclone Gamane landed in Madagascar, with three more people still missing, Madagascar's meteorological authorities said Thursday.

see more..
image