DUBAI: Terror group Islamic State has threatened attacks in Saudi Arabia as reported by monitoring group Site Intelligence. The threats came after the group claimed responsibility for assaults in Tehran that killed 17 people. In a video that appears to have been recorded before the attack, five masked fighters can be seen threatening Shias in Iran as well as the Saudi Arabian government saying their turn “will come”.
“Allah permitting, this brigade will be the first of jihad in Iran, and we ask our brothers, the Muslims, to follow us, as the fire that was ignited will not be put out, Allah permitting,” one of the masked men said. He sent a message to the Saudi government at the end of the video, saying, “Know that after Iran, your turn will come. By Allah, we will strike you in your own homes... We are the agents of nobody. We obey Allah and His Messenger, and we are fighting for the sake of this religion, not for the sake of Iran or the Arabian Peninsula.”
The IS has carried out attacks on Saudi security forces as well as deadly bombings and shootings targetting the kingdom's Shia population. Iranian authorities said five of the attackers in Tehran were nationals recruited by IS, while Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps blamed the assault on regional rival Saudi Arabia and has threatened revenge.
Sunni Saudi Arabia denied any involvement in the attacks. Tensions have been high in the Middle East since Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the accusation. The US embassy in Saudi Arabia issued a security notice to US citizens recommending that they "exercise caution in places frequented by foreigners due to the continuing risk of terrorist attacks... across the Kingdom.
