An Indian national is among at least six people killed in a shooting that targeted a Shiite mosque in Oman's capital Muscat, the Indian embassy said.
“Following the shooting reported incident in Muscat on 15 July, Foreign Ministry of Sultanate of Oman has informed that one Indian national has lost his life and another is injured. We offer our sincere condolences and stand ready to offer all assistance to the families,” the embassy announced in a post on social media platform X.
The mosque is in Muscat's Al-Wadi Al-Kabira area, according to a statement by the Royal Oman Police. The three gunmen behind the attack were killed, the police statement added.
The polce gave a toll of six, including an officer, and stated that 28 people were injured, including rescuers, paramedics, and people ‘from various nationalities.’
The victims include four Pakistanis as well, the foreign ministry said. Thirty other Pakistanis were wounded. The mosque was frequented by south Asian expatriates. Oman is home to at least 400,000 Pakistanis,” Imran Ali, Pakistan's ambassador to the Gulf nation, said.
“The gunfire started from an adjacent building as hundreds of people gathered for prayers. The worshippers were held hostage before being freed by the Omani forces,” he added. Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was ‘deeply saddened by the terrorist attack' and offered ‘full assistance’ in the investigation.
While Iran condemned the shooting as a ‘divisive’ act, the United States embassy issued a security alert and cancelled all visa appointments for the day.
