Saudi security forces announced yesterday that they have managed to thwart a «terrorist» attack that targeted Mecca's grand mosque, the holiest site in Islam, reports Le Parisien. 11 people, including 5 police officers, were injured when a 3-storey building partially collapsed where a suicide bombers blew himself, indicates a communique issued by the Saudi Interior Ministry. The police engaged in shootout with the Kamikaze before he blew himself. He opened fire on security forces when he realized they were around, the Interior Ministry spokesperson said on national TV. According to local authorities, the bomber belongs to a «terrorist» group based in two neighborhoods in Mecca and Jeddah, the Kingdom's economic capital. 5 members, including a woman, were arrested yesterday following the attack, the same source adds. The aborted attack was aiming at «undermining the security of the Grand mosque and its visitors», the Interior Ministry said. The Ministry's communique explains that the «terrorist» group was targeting Muslim's «holiest place» and following «foreign plans that wanted to harm the security and stability» of the Saudi kingdom, without naming the potential suspect or the countries that inspired the attacker. The attack was strongly condemned by several countries such as Qatar despite the current diplomatic crisis that has emerged between the two states.
