Saudi Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef (centre) visits a wounded man who was injured after a suicide bomber detonated a device near the security headquarters of the Prophet’s Mosque.
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At least 19 people including 12 Pakistanis have been arrested by the Saudi authorities over a series of bomb attacks in the country.
Iran, the region’s major Shi’ite power, also condemned the attacks.
The attacker, who blew himself up near the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, was identified as a 26-year-old Saudi man named Naer Muslim Hamad, who had a history of drug abuse, state news agency SPA reported.
Following the attack, President Joko Widodo urged calm and ordered police to quickly arrest others that may have been connected to the suicide bomber.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet but they are suspected to have been the work of people with allegiances to so-called Islamic State. There are around 9 million foreigners living in Saudi Arabia, which has a total population of 30 million.
Several cars went up in flames, and thick plumes of black smoke were seen rising from the site of the attack.
Examinations of the remains of the two terror attacks in Madinah and Qatif revealed the presence of the explosive Nitroglycerin substance, similar to the substance found in the bombing that took place at Sulaiman Faqih hospital parking lot in Jeddah, the spokesman said, adding that the concerned authority is still conducting the pertinent tests.
Worshippers expressed shock that such a prominent holy site could be targeted.
The attacks happened at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, shocking many moderate Muslims.
IS group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has called for attacks against Saudi Arabia, which is taking part in the US-led coalition bombing the jihadists in Syria and Iraq.
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The kingdom has been the target of multiple attacks by the group that have killed dozens of people. In a tweet, the ministry said that Khan, a driver, had moved to Jeddah 12 years ago to live with his wife and her parents.
