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Update: Death toll from Saudi Shiite mosque blast rises to 21

Xinhua, May 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

The death toll from a blast at a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday rose to 21, Al Arabiya news reported.

The explosion that targeted "Imam Ali" Mosque in Qudaih area of the Saudi city of Qatif also left 66 Shiite worshipers injured.

Several Twitter accounts for the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the blast.

An interior ministry spokesman said an investigation has been launched into the incident and more details will follow.

Last November, three masked gunmen killed five Shiites and injured nine others in the eastern town of Aldaloh in Ahsa Governorate.

Saudi authorities arrested six suspects in connection with November's attack.

Most of Saudi Arabia's minority Shiites live in the eastern region, where they have long protested against marginalization in the Sunni-dominated kingdom.

Saudi security authorities have been involved in a war against internal terror and extremism. Terror cells linked to the IS have been recently dismantled. Endit