Sanaa: A suicide bomber struck a mosque in Yemen’s rebel-held capital on Thursday in an attack targeting Shiites that killed at least 25 people and wounded dozens during holiday prayers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Sanaa has been shaken by a string of bombings by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in recent months targeting Shiites.
Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels, considered heretics by the Sunni extremists of IS, seized control of Sanaa a year ago.
Thursday’s blast ripped through the Balili mosque, located near a police academy, where the rebels and their supporters go to pray, according to witnesses. It came as Muslims marked Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, the most important holiday of the Islamic calendar, The Times of India reported.
Witnesses said after a first blast inside the mosque, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt at the entrance.