Omani officials said on Tuesday, July 16 (Changash 26), that at least four Pakistanis were killed and 30 others were injured in a shooting at a Shia mosque in the country’s capital, Muscat.

In Oman, where Shiites are a minority and Sunni Muslims are the majority, shootings are rare.

The Islamic State or Daesh claimed that they carried out the attack. The police said in a press release: “The Royal Oman Police arrived at the scene of the incident near a mosque in Al-Wadi Al-Kabeer.”

The police said that six people including one policeman were killed and three attackers were killed in the incident.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in Islamabad that four Pakistanis were killed. Imran Ali, Pakistan’s ambassador in Oman, said in a video message that he has taken the condition of 30 Pakistani injured people who were taken to hospitals and is in contact with the authorities of Oman regarding the incident.

The US Embassy in Muscat issued a security alert following the incident and canceled all visa application appointments for Tuesday.

“US citizens should remain vigilant, monitor local news and follow the instructions of local authorities,” the embassy said in a statement on the X Network.

Videos obtained by AFP show people fleeing the Imam Ali mosque after gunshots were heard.

The police have cordoned off the area of ​​the incident and have started an investigation.

The Kingdom of Oman has a population of four million, according to government figures, about 40 percent of them are foreign workers, mostly from South Asian countries.

While there have been many attacks on Shiite mosques in the Gulf countries in recent years, Monday’s attack is the first in Oman.

In 2015, at least 27 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in Kuwait. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the same year, there were two attacks on Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in one week. At least 25 people were killed in these attacks and ISIS claimed responsibility.

In 2005, a former teacher opened fire inside a government building in Muscat, killing two people and injuring several others before killing himself.