The Omani police announced on Tuesday that a shooting incident near a landmark mosque in the capital resulted in four deaths and multiple other injuries.
The attack took place early on Tuesday, July 16 in the Wadi al-Kabir district, near the Imam Ali Mosque.
The incident unfolded on the day of Ashura when Shia Muslims commemorate the seventh-century battlefield martyrdom of Imam Hussein, son of Imam Ali ibn Talib and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.
Video footage from the scene shows people fleeing the area while screaming “Labaik Ya Hussain” as gunfire rings out.
The Royal Oman Police said in a brief statement that a gunman has been arrested for the shooting near the Sultan Qaboos Mosque in the Al-Wadi Al-Kabir area in the east of Muscat
According to local media reports, some of the victims were Pakistani nationals. Imran Ali, the Pakistani ambassador had visited some of the injured treated in three hospitals, according to the reports.
The Omani police have ramped up necessary safety measures. A probe into his motive has been underway, reports Xinhua news agency.
The attack has been strongly condemned by the Pakistani government. The Pakistani embassy in Muscat has set up a hotline to assist the wounded and their relatives.
The Sultan Qaboos Mosque is the biggest mosque in Oman and a famous landmark that can accommodate 20,000 people praying at the same time.
With inputs from ANI
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