In Karbala, protesters carried a coffin symbolizing a funeral procession for the Saudi cleric and shouted “Killing Sheikh Nimr is the beginning of your downfall”, addressing the Saudi monarchy.
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The Ammar bin Yasser mosque, located in Bakerli neighborhood, was attacked just after midnight.
While it wouldn’t be unprecedented for ISIS to attack a Sunni mosque they saw as deviating from their worldview, it would be unusual for them to hit two mosques unannounced in a mixed-sect area like Iskandariyah, and barring some claim of responsibility the assumption will likely continue to be a Shi’ite militia launching the strikes.
An Iraqi policeman inspects the debris at the Sunni Al-Fateh Mosque, one of two mosques bombed overnight, in this village just outside Hilla yesterday. Iran has accused Saudi Arabia of using Nimr’s execution to stoke sectarian tensions in the region.
The incident came as outrage flared among Shiite Muslims on Saturday immediately after the Saudi Interior Ministry announced the execution of 47 people on terrorist charges, including prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
At the same time, Jamal noted that the executions are not a strong enough reason to cut off diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia which have recently resumed, following a long break after the first Gulf War. Provincial council member Falah al-Khafaji and a police source said a guard in the building was killed. “We found all the walls destroyed and the furniture inside in shambles”, said resident Uday Hassan Ali.
Protests took place in Baghdad and elsewhere in the country. While Abadi and Iraq’s foreign ministry have condemned Nimr’s execution, they have given no indication of a more severe response. Police guarding the zone pushed back a group that attempted to cross a line of barbed wire as they chanted “Damned, damned be Al Saud!”, referring to the Saudi ruling family.
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Demonstrators in Basra held banners calling on all Iraqis and the government to boycott Saudi products.
