Saudi authorities said on Monday the gunmen who attacked Shi’a citizens in the Dalwah village of the Al-Ahsa region in the Eastern Province are linked to the Islamic State group, including several jailed previously over suspected extremist ties.
According to comments made by Saudi Arabia’s Gen. Mansour al-Turki, the head of the network operating in Saudi Arabia received orders from Islamic State leadership abroad. “The head of the network, who had links with the IS militant outfit, received orders from abroad with regard to the target, victims, and time of carrying out attack in Al-Ahsa region. This criminal chose three of his accomplices to carry out the attack together with him, and they used the car of a citizen for the attack after overpowering and killing him.”
Saudi security forces operations made arrests across the country in the days and weeks following the attack. Authorities believe that everyone tied with the cell has been arrested. 77 people, including 4 foreigners, have now been arrested for the attack, the Saudi Gazette and other Arab media are reporting.
Saudi Arabia and the United States, as well as other Gulf nations have been allied against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, conducting joint airstrikes and other coordinated actions against the group. Recently, the head of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, called for Islamic State retaliation against Saudi Arabia.
