2014 al-Dalwah attack

The 2014 al-Dalwah attack occurred on 3 November 2014 at al-Dalwah village in the eastern province of al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia when three masked gunmen shot at a group of people, killing eight people and injuring nine others.[1][2][3] The attack occurred on Ashura and is thought to be targeting Shi’ite Muslims. Six people were arrested and one suspect killed.

2014 al-Dalwah attack
Location of Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia
Locational-Dalwah, al-Ahsa, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
Date3 November 2014
TargetShia Muslims
Attack type
Mass shooting
WeaponsGuns
Deaths8 (+2 attackers)
Injured9
PerpetratorsISIL

On 4 November, two police officers and two gunmen were killed in an operation after five people were shot dead and another wounded.[4] According to Saudi security, the leader of the gunmen had previously slipped back into the kingdom after fighting in Iraq and Syria.[1]

While the government and the official media and religious establishment strongly condemned the attack, a handful of articles in the Saudi press argued that the attack "had not come out of nowhere", that there was anti-Shi'ite incitement in the kingdom on the part of "the religious establishment, preachers, and even university lecturers – and that it was on the rise".[5]

Attackers

On 24 November, three weeks after the attack, the Saudi Interior Ministry revealed the identity of the attackers on the Al-Dalwah Shiite shrine in Al-Ahsa: Abdullah Al-Sarhan, Khalid Anzi, Marwan Nail, and Tariq Maimoni. Saudi security authorities arrested 77 people linked to ISIS.[6]

Aftermath

On 2 September 2020, seven militants linked to the shooting were sentenced to death by the Special Criminal Court in Riyadh, while three others were handed 25-year jail terms each.[7] Of the 12 defendants, 10 appeared in court for judgment. The court sentenced the first, second, third and fourth-degree defendant to the death penalty by crucifixion, while the others were typically judged to 25 years in prison.[8]

References

  1. Coogle, Adam (6 November 2014). "Dispatches: Killings of Saudi Shia a Wakeup Call". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  2. "Five killed in Saudi Arabia shooting". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  3. "Saudi forces kill suspect in attack on Shi'ites marking Ashoura". Reuters. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  4. Al Jazeera and agencies. "Deadly security raid in Saudi after shooting". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  5. "Saudi Columnists: There Is Anti-Shi'ite Incitement In Our Country". December 10, 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  6. "73 Saudis, 4 expats were arrested for suspecting in Al-Dalwah village crime". December 14, 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  7. "Saudi Arabia sentences seven Islamist militants to death over killings of Shi'ites". Reuters. September 2, 2020 via www.reuters.com.
  8. "7 Terrorists Sentenced to Death for 2014 Dalwah Attack in Saudi Arabia". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 2021-04-19.

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