The people of Saudi Arabia will forever remember the end of Ramadan 2016 by the three suicide attacks that occurred within 24 hours, following a month that has seen the wider region plunged into a wave of terror-related violence.
The three attacks, including one that took place in Medina, one of the holiest sites of the Islam faith, follow massive jihadi assaults from Turkey to Iraq that have been been connected to ISIS. Military analysts believe that the events in Saudi Arabia could also be the work of the terrorist organization despite the fact that no claims of responsibility have yet been made. Two of the attacks failed, but four people were killed in the third, all of which appear to be coordinated, seemingly targeting both Saudi security forces and Western interests in all three attacks.
The first of the three attacks occurred before dawn near the U.S. Consulate General in the coastal city of Jeddah. The attacker, was identified by the Saudi Interior Ministry as 34-year-old Pakistani national, Abdullah Qlazar Khan.The attacker killed only himself upon detonating a crude explosives belt, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Several policemen were injured in the attack. According to Saudi officials, the attacker came to Saudi Arabia in 2004 to work as a driver, and lived with his wife and one of her parents in Jeddah.
The second attack occurred in the city of Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia, where a suicide bomber attempted to launch an attack on a Shiite mosque, but failed, killing only himself in the process, according to an official with knowledge of the event. There were no injuries reported, and the identity of the attacker is yet to be released.
The third attack which happened to be the deadliest, occurred in Medina, where four people were killed and another person was severely wounded, according to an official with insider knowledge of the event. The city is a major spot in the Islamic faith due to the fact that it's the location where the Prophet Mohammed is buried. The bomber, who died in the explosion, targeted security officers, but it is unknown precisely who was killed, the source said.
The strikes come as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan ends, and Americans celebrate the Fourth of July. They follow dramatic attacks the previous week that occurred in Turkey, Bangladesh, Yemen and Iraq, that killed scores of people. They are claimed to have been, or thought to be, carried out by ISIS.
Around the world, the hashtag #PrayForMedina has been retweeted thousands of times, as Muslims responded with outrage and horror to the attack near Islam's second most holy site. Muslims across the globe have bashed ISIS for contradicting their claims as a "Muslim" organization by attacking one of the religion's most holiest cities during the holiest month. Saudi Arabian state television broadcasting stated that these incidents were the first bombings in years to attempt to target foreigners in the kingdom. Following these incidents, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has pledged to further support the fight against terrorism.
