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Oman Terror Attack: Perpetrators Pledged Allegiance to ISIS

Muscat, Oman (AFP)
Muscat, Oman (AFP)
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Oman Terror Attack: Perpetrators Pledged Allegiance to ISIS

Muscat, Oman (AFP)
Muscat, Oman (AFP)

The identities of the “three terrorist brothers” who attacked a mosque in Muscat on Monday night have shocked Oman, a country not used to such incidents.

A video from ISIS showed the brothers pledging allegiance to the terror group’s leader before the attack.

The Royal Oman Police said the brothers, who were Omani, died after resisting security forces. Investigations revealed they were influenced by extremist ideas.

According to available information, the three brothers held prestigious positions.

One had a PhD and worked in a key government ministry, and he had hosted television programs about Oman’s development, which are available on YouTube.

The second brother worked at the central bank, and the third was employed by the municipality.

A video featuring their fourth brother, Sultan Al-Hasani, a former singer who had renounced his career, showed him condemning his brothers, denouncing their actions as bloodshed and a threat to national security.

On Tuesday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Imam Ali Mosque in Wadi Kabir, Muscat.

The attack targeted residents observing Ashura, killing six people, including a police officer, and injuring around 28 others. The three attackers were also killed.

A video released by ISIS’s Amaq news agency, which has not been verified by official sources, showed the three brothers who carried out the attack standing in front of the group’s black flag, pledging allegiance to “Abu Hafs,” referring to the group’s leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi.

Abu Hafs became the fifth leader of ISIS on August 3, 2023, following the death of his predecessor, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, in battle, as announced in an audio recording by ISIS spokesman Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari.

In a video released by ISIS, a speaker believed to be Hamad Al-Hasani justified the mosque attack with sectarian rhetoric, inciting Arab youth to rebellion and criticizing religious scholars.

He also attacked the West, led by the United States, accusing it of waging “the greatest ideological, military, media, and economic war against Muslims in general, and ISIS in particular.”

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Gulf

Swedish FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Stand in Full Solidarity with Saudi amid these Difficult Times

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard. (Turky Al-Agili)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard. (Turky Al-Agili)
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Swedish FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Stand in Full Solidarity with Saudi amid these Difficult Times

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard. (Turky Al-Agili)
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard. (Turky Al-Agili)

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stressed her country’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia amid the difficult conditions in the region, adding that the Kingdom was a “highly valued partner and interlocutor on regional and global issues”.

In an interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, she said: “I have long planned to visit Saudi Arabia and I am very pleased to finally be here. It is important for me to be able to personally convey my government’s sincere support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia in current difficult times.”

“We commend the Kingdom’s resilience and commitment to support dialogue and peaceful solutions. Sweden and Saudi Arabia share a joint interest in global peace and stability within a rules-based international order. During my discussion with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, I have also been able to outline Sweden’s approach to major international conflicts, including our strong support to Ukraine,” she added.

“I also wanted to meet with additional representatives in the very diverse group of Swedish or ‘Swede-tech’ companies present in Saudi Arabia, such as Envac, Getinge, TetraPak and Hitachi Energy. I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for their contribution to the impressive development of Saudi Arabia and for being excellent ambassadors of Sweden’s spirit of innovation and building a better future,” she continued.

On Saudi-Swedish relations and aspects of cooperation, Stenergard said: “Swedish- Saudi relations are excellent and ever-expanding. Saudi Arabia has for a long time been one of Sweden’s largest trading partners in the MENA region. Swedish companies, like Ericsson and ABB, have been present in the Saudi market since the 1950’s and 60’s and continue to bring jobs to Saudis across the Kingdom.”

US-Israel war on Iran

On the US-Israel war on Iran, she said: “Sweden views the situation with great concern. Sweden’s position is clear: we urge all parties to continue talks and pursue a diplomatic solution.”

“There is a strong global urge and interest that these efforts, as soon as possible, lead to sustainable peace. Any final arrangement must address key concerns, such free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons and that Iran does not pose a threat to regional and international security,” she stated.

On whether Sweden would be involved in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, she replied: “Sweden is engaged in efforts to uphold freedom of navigation in the region, such as the French British initiative, together with Saudi Arabia.”

“We continue to assess how Sweden can best contribute. As a member of the European Union, Sweden contributes to the EU led Operation Aspides in the Red Sea, which aims to safeguard maritime security and ensure continued freedom of navigation through key waterways such as the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait,” Stenergard went on to say.

NATO summit

Asked about the outcomes of the recent NATO summit in Sweden, she told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Sweden is happy to have hosted a productive meeting of the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Helsingborg. The meeting was an important milestone on the road to the NATO Summit in Ankara.”

“We are pleased that Sweden could facilitate a meeting that allowed for open and constructive discussions. Hosting our first NATO meeting at ministerial level is an expression of Sweden’s ambition to be an active and constructive NATO ally,” she added.

Lebanon-Israel negotiations

Turning to the future of the Israeli and Lebanese negotiations, she stressed that she was “deeply concerned about the situation on the ground, including the large-scale demolition of villages in southern Lebanon, and the very large number of internally displaced people.”

“The Swedish position is clear: the ceasefire must be respected and talks on a long-term solution need to continue. Israel must withdraw from Lebanese territory and respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she demanded.

“At the same time, a sustainable peace requires the disarmament of Hezbollah, in line with UN Security Council resolutions and decisions by the Lebanese government. There can only be a diplomatic solution to this conflict,” she said.

Gulf

Oman, Kuwait Support Stability, Dialogue to Tackle Regional Challenges

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah sign the MoU during their meeting on Monday. (ONA)
Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah sign the MoU during their meeting on Monday. (ONA)
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Oman, Kuwait Support Stability, Dialogue to Tackle Regional Challenges

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah sign the MoU during their meeting on Monday. (ONA)
Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah sign the MoU during their meeting on Monday. (ONA)

Oman and Kuwait stressed on Monday the importance of maintaining coordination and consultations, bolstering security and stability, and supporting dialogue and diplomacy to tackle challenges in the region.

The countries held the 11th session of the Oman-Kuwait Joint Committee in Al Jabal Al Akhdar in Oman. It was chaired by Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi and his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

The meeting addressed the deep-rooted fraternal relations between their countries. The officials discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation in a number of fields to serve common interests, in translation of the aspirations of the wise leaderships of Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, reported Oman’s state news agency ONA.

Al Busaidi said that the meeting was held in implementation of the supreme directives of the leaderships of the two countries, calling for deepening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic, commercial, cultural, and scientific fields, and exchanging expertise to achieve greater integration and partnership between Oman and Kuwait.

He pointed out that the regular convening of the joint committee reflects the attention and care it receives from the leaderships of both countries, and embodies the joint commitment to strengthening its role as an effective institutional framework to propel cooperative relations toward more advanced and comprehensive levels.

For his part, Sheikh Jarrah stressed that the two countries' celebration this year of the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations reflects the development and growth of their ties.

The FMs said that Omani-Kuwaiti relations are a model of sincere fraternal bonds among the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

They signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of cybersecurity, and an executive program in the field of standardization.

Gulf

Qatar Opens Military Enlistment to Residents Born in the Country, Children of Qatari Mothers

The decree allows children of Qatari mothers and those born in Qatar to serve in the country's military. (Qatar's National Service Academy)
The decree allows children of Qatari mothers and those born in Qatar to serve in the country's military. (Qatar's National Service Academy)
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Qatar Opens Military Enlistment to Residents Born in the Country, Children of Qatari Mothers

The decree allows children of Qatari mothers and those born in Qatar to serve in the country's military. (Qatar's National Service Academy)
The decree allows children of Qatari mothers and those born in Qatar to serve in the country's military. (Qatar's National Service Academy)

Qatar’s Ministry of Defense announced that it was opening military enlistment to individuals who are not covered under Qatar’s National Service Law.

This means that residents born in Qatar, children of Qatari mothers, and Qatari citizens who are not required to perform mandatory national service can now volunteer to do so.

The decree was issued by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani.

Qatar had introduced mandatory military enlistment in 2014 after it had been voluntary.

Monday’s decree said that recruitment was open for male and female residents born in Qatar and to Qatari mothers. They will be granted a monthly allowance of up to 1,900 dollars.

Conditions for enlistment include being 18 and 25 years of age, being medically fit and having no criminal or felony record.

The decree included adding three categories to the National Service recruitment, the first covers Qatari nationals who are not bound to perform national service, the second covers non-Qatari nationals born to a Qatari mother, and the third covers non-Qatari residents born in Qatar.

Conscripts from the second and third categories, who complete their service may then be eligible to receive permanent residency.