Deadly suicide bombing at Yemen mosque

  • 24/09/2015
The blast happened in the Balili mosque where Houthi Shi'ite rebels who control Sanaa go to pray (Reuters)
The blast happened in the Balili mosque where Houthi Shi'ite rebels who control Sanaa go to pray (Reuters)

A bomb attack targeting Shi'ite worshippers at a mosque in Yemen's capital has killed at least 25 people and wounded dozens during prayers for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, medics say.

Thursday's (local time) blast happened in the Balili mosque where Houthi Shi'ite rebels who control Sanaa go to pray, according to witnesses.

Witnesses reported after a first blast inside the mosque, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt at the entrance as worshippers rushed outside.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Sanaa has been shaken by a string of bombings by the Islamic State jihadist group in recent months targeting Shi'ites.

The radical Sunni Muslim group considers Shi'ites to be heretics and has also claimed bombings of mosques in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized several regions of Yemen including Sanaa which they overran a year ago.

Pro-government forces backed by Saudi-led air strikes have recently managed to wrest back some southern provinces, including Yemen's second city of Aden.

AFP