begin quote from:

Muslim Leaders Condemn Saudi Attacks

Wall Street Journal

- ‎3 hours ago‎

Three terror attacks in Saudi Arabia drew strong condemnation from across the Muslim world on Tuesday, as the kingdom's leaders sought to reassure citizens on the eve of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

Attack on holy city of Medina appalls Muslims amid Ramadan violenceCNN

Medina bombing: Saudi clerics denounce Prophet's Mosque attackBBC News

From Saudi Arabia:Islam has nothing to do with terror, Muslims tell the worldSaudi Gazette

See realtime coverage »

Muslim Leaders Condemn Saudi Attacks

Kingdom seeks to reassure citizens in the wake of Monday’s violence as Ramadan draws near its close.

Margherita Stancati in Dubai and

Ahmed Al Omran in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia

July 5, 2016 2:45 p.m. ET

3 COMMENTS

Three terror attacks in Saudi Arabia drew strong condemnation from across the Muslim world on Tuesday, as the kingdom’s leaders sought to reassure citizens on the eve of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The bombings on Monday struck targets around the country: next to one of Islam’s holiest sites in Medina, in the vicinity of the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah and near a mosque frequented by members of the Shiite Muslim minority in the country’s east.
“The terrorist attacks that took place in Medina, Jeddah and Qatif will only increase our cohesion and strength,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the kingdom’s chief counterterrorism official and next in line to the throne, said in comments published by the official Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

The prince, who serves as interior minister and himself survived a suicide attack in 2009, spoke during a visit to the victims of the attacks at a hospital in Jeddah.

A suicide bomber detonated a device outside the mosque where the Prophet Muhammad is buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, just two days before Eid al-Fitr, one of the most important days on the Muslim calendar. Photo: Noor Punasiya via AP

A suicide bomber blew himself up near the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, early Monday. Two security officials were lightly injured in the attack. Photo: Reuters

Four security guards were killed and five injured in the deadliest of Monday’s explosions, adjacent to a mosque in Medina where Prophet Muhammad is said to be buried. Large crowds had gathered in the mosque for the ritual breaking of the dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast.
Four people, likely all suicide bombers, died in the other two attacks, the Interior Ministry said. In Jeddah, two security officers were also injured.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Saudi Arabia has been a frequent target of Sunni militant groups including Islamic State, which has accused the U.S.-allied monarchy of heresy and challenged its guardianship of Islam’s holy cities, Mecca and Medina.
Saudi authorities arrested terrorism suspects in Medina in early June, but this is believed to be the first bomb attack on the city.
In May, Saudi authorities also foiled a terror plot by Islamic State fighters on the outskirts of Mecca, an episode that brought back memories of the seizure of the city’s Grand Mosque in 1979 by Sunni extremists, a turning point in Saudi history that has since inspired militants.
The attacks rattled Muslims in the kingdom and elsewhere as they prepared for the festivities of Eid al-Fitr, which falls on Wednesday and marks the end of Ramadan.
The kingdom’s top clerical body issued a statement denouncing the bombings and describing the attackers as enemies of Islam who want to cause great damage by targeting the hallowed ground of the Prophet’s Mosque.
“They have no respect for any sanctity and they have no religion or conscience,” the Council of Senior Ulema said.
The bombings were condemned by allies and foes, including Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran.
“There are no more red lines left for terrorists to cross. Sunni, Shiites will both remain victims unless we stand united as one,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
The U.S. State Department denounced the attacks.
“We condemn the violence that has marred the final days of Ramadan and brought sorrow to so many innocent families,” said spokesman John Kirby. “We stand—as we have stood—with the people of Saudi Arabia as they confront the scourge of terrorism.”
Persian Gulf neighbors and other allies offered their condolences to the Saudi monarchy.
In a show of solidarity, skyscrapers in major Gulf cities—including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building—were lit up in green, the color of the Saudi flag, on Monday night.
The bombing in Medina was also condemned by the Afghan Taliban, who routinely carry out suicide attacks that kill scores of civilians in their country. In a statement, the movement said it is unacceptable to target the holy site, and urged Muslims to “jointly combat” its perpetrators “both physically and intellectually.”
Write to Margherita Stancati at margherita.stancati@wsj.com and Ahmed Al Omran at Ahmed.AlOmran@wsj.com