Blast in Syria kills 8 at mosque targeting Alawite minority in Homs
Authorities investigate explosive devices planted during Friday prayers, heightening sectarian tensions and fears among minorities
An Islamist militant group has claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least eight worshippers at a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Homs, Syria, on Friday.
In a statement on Telegram, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna announced that its fighters “detonated a number of explosive devices” inside the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque. The group – which was formed after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad – previously claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed 20 people at a Damascus church in June.
Quoting a health ministry official, state news agency SANA reported a preliminary toll of at least eight dead and 18 wounded.
Syria’s interior ministry said in a statement that “a terrorist explosion” targeted the mosque “during Friday prayers”.
Homs was the scene of heavy sectarian violence during Syria’s civil war.
The ministry imposed a security cordon around the mosque, saying that authorities “have begun investigating and collecting evidence to pursue the perpetrators of this criminal act”.