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Saudi Arabia Shia-linked gun battles 'leave nine dead' | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
At least nine people have died in two separate gun battles in Saudi Arabia. | |
In the first incident on Monday, masked gunmen killed at least five people in the town of Dalwah, a Shia Muslim area in eastern Saudi Arabia. | |
On Tuesday in a shootout believed to be linked to that attack, two suspected militants and two Saudi policemen were killed in Buraida, north of Riyadh. | |
Shias, who make up less than 15% of the Sunni-majority nation, are currently marking the festival of Ashura. | |
It commemorates the death of a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. | |
'Shocked' | |
Monday's attack was in Dalwah in Ahsa district, one of the centres for Shia Muslims. | |
At least three attackers fired machineguns and pistols at a crowd that was leaving a building where ceremonies had been taking place, police said. | |
At least 15 people have been arrested in connection with the shooting. | |
One resident of Eastern Province, Nasima al-Sada, told Agence France-Presse: "It's very surprising because it's the first time. We are shocked." | |
Saudi Arabia's supreme council of Sunni clerics condemned the attack, saying: "The enemies of our religion and our homeland aim to attack our unity and stability." | |
There were few details of the second gun battle. | |
The Saudi Press Agency said that in addition to the dead, two security officers were wounded. | |
The interior ministry said the gun battle began when officers tried to arrest suspects believed to be involved in Monday's incident. | |
Shia Muslims have long complained of marginalisation by the Sunni royal family, with the Eastern Province, where most of the country's Shia live, seeing a spate of protests in the wake of the Arab Spring. | |
The Saudi government denies allegations of discrimination and blames Iran for stirring up discontent. | The Saudi government denies allegations of discrimination and blames Iran for stirring up discontent. |
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