6 dead in attack on Saudi education office

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (UPDATED) – A man killed 6 employees in a “criminal” attack at an education department office in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, February 11 the interior ministry said.

 

The rampage in which two others were wounded occurred in the southern province of Jazan at about 2:00 pm (1100 GMT), ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told Agence France-Presse.

 

“This is a criminal act,” said Turki, adding that one suspect had been arrested.

 

He was unable to immediately confirm how the victims were killed but state television reported they were shot.

 

The identity and motive of the suspect were unclear.

 

Al-Watan newspaper and Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television reported that the alleged gunman was a teacher.

 

Officers responded to a report that a man “was shooting at a number of employees while they were carrying out their duties,” Al-Ekhbariya state television reported on its Twitter account.

 

On the Internet, purported pictures from the scene showed at least 5 ambulances outside a building resembling a low-rise apartment block.

 

The killings occurred in the remote community of Ad Dair, several kilometers (miles) from the Yemeni border.

 

Ali al-Khawaji, a spokesman for the regional education department, said 3 of the dead were “education supervisors” while 3 others were administrators.

 

One of the wounded, also an admin worker, was in critical condition, Khawaji said.

 

Jazan and other southern border districts have been shelled by rebels in Yemen since March last year when a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes and later ground operations to halt the advance of the Huthi rebels there.

 

More than 90 soldiers and civilians have been killed in shelling and skirmishes in the Saudi border region.

 

Elsewhere in the kingdom there have been mass shootings and bombings claimed by the Islamic State group against the Shiite minority community. IS has also targeted the security forces.

 

But criminal mass shootings are rare in Saudi Arabia. – Rappler.com