DUBAI: The three gunmen who shot and killed six people at a Shi’ite Muslim mosque in Oman in an attack claimed by Daesh this week were all Omani nationals, police said on Thursday.
The assault began on Monday evening at the Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi Al-Kabir neighborhood of Oman’s capital Muscat as Shi’ite Muslims gathered.
The Royal Oman Police said the three gunmen were brothers and “were killed due to their insistence on resisting security personnel.” It said that police investigations had indicated the three gunmen were “influenced by misguided ideas.”
The six people killed by the gunmen were four Pakistani nationals, an Indian, and a police officer responding to the attack, which Daesh later claimed responsibility for.
Pakistan has labelled the assault a terror attack.
Daesh on Tuesday said that three of its “suicide attackers” fired on worshippers at the mosque on Monday evening and exchanged gunfire with Omani security forces until morning.
The Sunni militant group also published what it said was a video of the attack on its Telegram site. It has claimed responsibility this year for high-profile attacks in Russia and Iran which inflicted mass casualties and is active in Afghanistan. It had not claimed an assault on the Arabian Peninsula for several years until the attack in Oman.
DAESH SEEKS COMEBACK
Its operations have indicated the group is attempting a comeback after it was crushed by a US-led coalition following its occupation of large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate.
It also inspired lone-wolf attacks in the West.
Any inroads in Gulf Arab oil producers such as Oman would raise fears in Washington and the region which has long viewed militant Islamist groups as a major threat.
Dozens of people at the mosque in Oman were wounded with around 30 people treated at local hospitals, including for gunshot wounds.
Monday evening marked the beginning of Ashura, an annual period of mourning, which many Shi’ite Muslims mark publicly, to commemorate the 7th century death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The observation of Ashura has sometimes triggered sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims in some Middle East countries.
The attack was largely unprecedented in Oman, where most of its citizens follow the Ibadi Muslim faith that shares many similarities with mainstream Sunni Islam. Oman has a small but influential Omani Shi’ite population. Like other Gulf countries, there is a large and significant foreign workforce in Oman too.
Omani nationals behind Muscat mosque attack that killed four Pakistanis, police say
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Omani nationals behind Muscat mosque attack that killed four Pakistanis, police say
- Police say the three gunmen, who targeted the mosque, were killed after they offered resistance to security personnel
- Attack claimed by Daesh is viewed as an attempt by the militant group to make a comeback after being crushed by the US
Pakistan says 64% of Ramadan relief package beneficiaries have received payments
- Government provides $47 each to eligible households via bank accounts, mobile wallets as part of $136 million package
- Verification and validation process for remaining beneficiaries continuing at fast pace, officials tell PM Shehbaz Sharif
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani officials told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday that 64 percent of the beneficiaries of the government’s Rs38 billion [$136 million] Ramadan cash relief package have received payments so far, Sharif’s office said.
The Prime Minister’s Ramadan Relief Package 2026, launched on Feb. 14, provides Rs13,000 ($47) each to eligible households through bank accounts and regulated mobile wallets, replacing the earlier utility-store subsidy model with a digital transfer system overseen by the State Bank of Pakistan.
The latest directive comes as Ramadan spending accelerates, with food purchases typically rising during the holy month, prompting the government to ensure payments reach families before household expenses increase further.
Sharif chaired a meeting to review the progress of the Ramadan Relief Package in Islamabad, the PMO said.
“It was informed that by the 8th of Ramadan, 64 percent of beneficiaries had received their payments,” the PMO said.
“The verification and validation process for the remaining beneficiaries is continuing at a fast pace.”
Officials briefed the prime minister that this year, 12 banks and fintech companies are partnering with the government to distribute the funds.
“So far, beneficiaries have conducted 1.1 million digital transactions under the Ramadan package,” the PMO said, adding that 1.227 million automated calls have been made by the government to raise awareness among beneficiaries.
Sharif’s office said the package is being distributed to beneficiaries across the country, including the northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir territories.
The digital transfer model for disbursement aims to move toward a targeted subsidy regime aligned with broader efforts to expand financial inclusion and reduce cash-based leakages.
