![The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Mecca. [Image via Flickr/Hisham Binsuwaif]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/6/24/660x290/b_502x220x82/the-sheikh-zayed-grand-mosque-in-mecca-httpswwwflickrcomphotos44446887392973_1404715.jpg "The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Mecca. [Image via Flickr/Hisham Binsuwaif]")
Saudi Arabian police have foiled a terrorist attack. A suspected terrorist blew himself up after a gunfight with security forces. Saudi Arabian authorities believe that the attack was targeted to hit the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the holy city of Islam.
Attack on the Grand Mosque
Saudi Arabia's interior ministry reported that the police exchanged gunfire with one of the suspected terrorists. The man then blew himself up inside the house he was hiding on Friday. After the incident, Saudi Arabia's security forces conducted operations in Mecca. Police arrested five people, including a woman.
Saudi Arabia Interior Ministry spokesperson Mansour al-Turki said that three terrorist organizations masterminded the assault on the mosque. He stated that two of the groups have their base of operations in Mecca, while the third operates from the city of Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia's media reported that a suicide bomber started shooting on security forces on the eve of Ramadan celebrations. He later detonated his suicide vest. The terrorist had been hiding at a house in the Ajyad Al-masafi area of Mecca. Five Saudi policemen were injured in the attack. Six foreign civilians were also wounded. The Grand Mosque is the home of Islam's holiest religious site - the Kaaba. Muslim believers pray facing towards it five times a day.
Condemnation
Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival has condemned the terror plot targeting the Grand Mosque. In a statement issued on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said that terrorism is growing and becoming rampant. Quoting ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghasemi, the official statement from Iran asked all countries to be wary of future terror attacks.
The statement went on to say that Iran is ready to help other nations also to combat terrorim threats.
The Islamic State
Saudi security forces are yet to determine who was behind the terror plot. The Islamic State terror group had previously carried out successful assaults on mosques in Saudi Arabia. The United States Central Intelligence Agency stated that attacks in the past had ISIS fingerprints on them.
Security forces and the Shiite minority has borne the brunt of the majority of terror attacks in Saudi Arabia. The attacks have killed dozens of people. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ISIS leader, has called for jihadis to attack Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is a member of the United States-led coalition that is fighting ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria.
