At least four Pakistani nationals were killed and 30 people were injured in a shooting attack at a mosque in Oman, Omani and Pakistani officials said on Tuesday.
The attack took place in the Ali bin Abi Talib mosque, a Shi'ite mosque in Sunni-dominated Oman, also known as the Imam Ali mosque, in the Wadi al-Kabir district of the Omani capital Muscat.
Pakistan's foreign ministry called the incident a “terrorist” attack and said 30 injured people were in hospital.
“We are heartened that the government of Oman has neutralised the attackers,” Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The attack came as Shi'ite Muslims observed Ashura, an annual period of mourning to commemorate the 7th-century death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Pakistani ambassador Imran Ali also visited some of the wounded in hospital, the embassy said in a post on social media platform X.
“I have visited three or four hospitals. By the grace of God, all those injured are safe,” Ali said.
“We are in touch with Omani authorities as well as hospitals. Our officers are on standby for emergency blood donations in the embassy,” he added.
The ambassador also urged Pakistani nationals to cooperate with Omani authorities and avoid the area around the Imam Ali mosque.
“The Royal Oman Police have responded to a shooting incident that occurred in the vicinity of a mosque in the Al-Wadi Al-Kabir area” of the capital, police said in a statement.
The police said that “all necessary security measures and procedures have been taken to handle the situation” following the attack.
“The authorities are continuing to gather evidence and conduct investigations to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the police added.
The American embassy in Muscat said it was following reports of the shooting incident.
“US citizens should remain vigilant, monitor local news and heed directions of local authorities,” it said in a statement.
