SANAA: Twin bomb blasts killed at least 25 people Thursday at a mosque during Eid al-Adha prayers in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and dozens more worshippers were wounded, media reports say.
Worshippers had gathered in the Balili mosque, located near a police academy, as Shiite worshippers gathered for prayers at the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Witnesses said that after a first blast inside the mosque, a second suicide bomber set off an explosives belt at the entrance as worshippers rushed outside. Security officials said the bomber had hidden an explosive device in his shoe, causing the initial explosion, and then blew himself up among the crowd as people ran for the door.
A Yemen-based affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIL) group claimed responsibility in a statement circulated on Twitter by its supporters. The statement said the group was targeting the country’s Shiite rebels, whom the Sunni extremists regard as heretics. The mosque is in an area where many residents support the Houthi rebels, who have controlled Sanaa since last September.
Blood and debris were left outside the mosque, whose ornate facade was damaged, as police and Houthi fighters arrived to inspect the scene. The attack follows ISIL bombings of Shia mosques in Sanaa in March that killed 142 people.
Yemen is caught in a war between the Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh on one side, and fighters backing President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, southern separatists, local militias and Sunni extremists on the other.