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| Saudi security foils terror plot targeting Mecca Grand Mosque and pilgrims | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Saudi security forces foiled a terror plot targeting the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, exchanging gunfire with one of the suspects who blew himself up inside a home on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said. | Saudi security forces foiled a terror plot targeting the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, exchanging gunfire with one of the suspects who blew himself up inside a home on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said. |
| Five people, including a woman, were arrested in security operations in Mecca, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news website said, citing interior ministry security spokesman Mansour al-Turki. | Five people, including a woman, were arrested in security operations in Mecca, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news website said, citing interior ministry security spokesman Mansour al-Turki. |
| Five security force members and six other people were injured, the report said. | Five security force members and six other people were injured, the report said. |
| Turki said police “foiled the terrorist plan that targeted the security of the Grand Mosque, pilgrims and worshippers”. | |
| In dawn raids on Mecca and the Red Sea city of Jeddah officers arrested suspects before surrounding the bomber’s location close to the Grand Mosque. | |
| “Unfortunately he started shooting towards security personnel once he noticed their presence in the area, which led to an exchange of fire before he blew himself up,” Turki said. | |
| The blast partially collapsed the building where he had taken refuge, injuring six pilgrims, Turki said. | |
| He added that four had already been released from hospital, and five security men were also slightly hurt. | |
| Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has faced periodic bombings and shootings claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. | |
| Near the end of Ramadan last year in the Saudi city of Medina four security officers died in an explosion close to Islam’s second holiest site, the Prophet’s Mosque. | |
| It was one of three suicide blasts around the kingdom on the same day, in which a total of seven people were believed killed. The others occurred in Jeddah and in the Gulf city of Qatif. | |
| The US Central Intelligence Agency said those attacks bore the hallmarks of Isis. | |
| Most of the targets in Saudi Arabia have been the Shiite minority and security forces, killing dozens of people. | |
| Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has called for attacks against the kingdom, a member of the US-led coalition battling the group in Syria and Iraq. | |
| Since July last year police have arrested around 40 people, including Saudis and Pakistanis, for alleged extremist links. | |
| Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism capabilities – which for years were led by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef – are well-regarded internationally. | |
| On Wednesday Prince Mohammed was ousted from his posts of crown prince and interior minister, replaced as heir to the throne by King Salman’s son Mohammed bin Salman. | |
| Friday’s counter-terrorist operation was the first to take place under the new interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who is in his early 30s. | |
| Prince Abdulaziz is the nephew of the deposed minister. | |
| Agence France-Presse and Associated Press contributed to this report |