King Salman vows to punish those involved in Qatif suicide bombing

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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman said on Sunday anyone linked to the attack, claimed by the self-styled Islamic State(IS), or who sympathises with it, will be brought to justice, state news agency SPA reported.

The King said he expressed his grief and sorrow over a suicide bombing at a Shi’ite mosque in the kingdom that killed 21 people.

“We were pained by the enormity of the crime of this terrorist aggression which contradicts Islamic and humanitarian values,” the king said in a message to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who is also the interior minister.

“Any participant, planner, supporter or sympathiser with this heinous crime will be held accountable, tried and will receive the punishment he deserves,” he said.

A militant blew himself up in the al-Qadeeh village mosque in Saudi Arabia’s heavily Shi’ite east during Friday prayers, in one of the worst attacks in the kingdom in years.

The Saudi Interior Ministry identified the perpetrator as Saleh bin Abdul Rahman Saleh Qashimi, a Saudi citizen wanted for belonging to Islamic State. The militant group had identified him on Friday by a nom de guerre, Abu ‘Ammar al-Najdi.