20 reported killed in Saudi mosque bombing

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 22 (UPI) -- At least 20 people were reported killed when a bomb detonated in an al-Qadeeh, Saudi Arabia mosque Friday.

Witnesses reported a blast, presumed to be a suicide bombing, at the crowded Imam Ali mosque in the small town in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Shiite mosque was filled with worshippers at Friday prayers, and the attack heightened worries about sectarian violence in the Sunni-majority kingdom.

No motive was provided for the attack, and the Saudi government offered no casualty figures. The local newspaper Al-Sharq reported at least 20 deaths; a doctor at Qatif Central Hospital told the British Broadcasting Corp. at least 10 had died and at least 70 were injured, "some very critically."

Saudi Arabia has seen few examples of factional violence. The most recent attack on a Shiite mosque occurred in the Al-Asha region in November 2014; eight people were killed, and 75 were arrested in the incident, which authorities said was planned by the Islamic State.