Riyadh: At least five people have been killed in a suicide blast outside the Prophet's Mosque in the Saudi Arabian city of Madinah, media reports say.
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said an initial death toll from the Madinah blast included three suicide bombers and two security forces officers.
A video sent to Reuters by a witness to the aftermath of the Madinah bombing showed a large blaze among parked cars in the fading evening light, with a sound of sirens in the background.
A picture sent to Reuters showed a burnt and bleeding man lying on a stretcher in a hospital.
Other pictures circulating on social media showed dark smoke billowing from flames near the Mosque.
Al Arabiya news channel showed images of fire raging in a parking lot with at least one body nearby.
The bombers detonated the device as the security officers were ending their day-long fast for Ramadan, Arabiya reported.
UAE condemns attacks in Saudi Arabia
Abu Dhabi : The UAE has strongly condemned terrorist attacks that happened in Jeddah, Qatif and the Prophet's mosque in Madinah.
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, expressed his strong condemnation of these heinous terrorist attacks.
“We stand by Saudi Arabia in all the measures it takes in countering terrorism,” he said.
Shaikh Abdullah reaffirmed the UAE’s support and full solidarity with Saudi Arabia’s leadership and people in all measures it takes to eradicate the menace of terrorism which aims to destabilize security and safety in Saudi Arabia.
State-linked Saudi news websites earlier said an explosion has gone off outside one of Islam's holiest sites in the city of Madinah, the same day that two suicide bombers struck different cities in Saudi Arabia.
Sabq news site reported that the explosion took place Monday evening. Other sites showed images of what appeared to be a fire outside one of the buildings overlooking the Prophet's Mosque.
The sprawling mosque where the Prophet Muhammad is buried is visited by millions of Muslims from around the world each year during pilgrimages to Makkah. The area would have been teeming with pilgrims for prayer during the final days of Ramadan, which ends this week.
Blasts in Qatif, Jeddah
Two other bombers blew themselves up earlier Monday on opposite sides of the kingdom, which has previously been targeted by Daesh terror group..
In Qatif, on the Gulf coast, residents said a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque frequented by the Shiite community.
Another suicide bomber earlier detonated his explosives earlier near the US consulate in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, injuring two security officers.
Social media footage showed a blazing vehicle and billowing smoke.
Source: Suicide blast outside Prophet's Mosque in Madinah: Saudi media | GulfNews.com
Suicide blast outside Prophet's Mosque in Madinah: Saudi media
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