Four Pakistanis were killed in a shooting near a mosque in the Omani capital Muscat, Omani police said on Tuesday, a rare security breach in one of the Middle East’s most stable countries.
Meanwhile, another 30 Pakistanis who sustained injuries are being treated in hospitals, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
“The Royal Oman Police responded to a shooting that occurred near a mosque in the Al-Wadi Al-Kabir area,” police said in a statement.
Law enforcement officials also said that all security measures have been taken to deal with the situation while procedures are underway to gather evidence and investigate the attack.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Oman, Imran Chaudhry, said in a statement that the Omani government had confirmed four deaths, two of which were Pakistani nationals.
“I was present with diplomatic personnel that night,” Imran said, adding that Omani authorities were investigating the incident.
According to the Embassy of Pakistan, a terrorist attack by unknown assailants took place in the Wadi Kabir area of Muscat on July 15.
It said authorities had closed the area to drones and surveillance was underway, adding that the operation by Omani authorities began at 2:30 a.m. in Muscat after the evacuation.
“The government has declared a high alert and a state of emergency at the state level, as well as some injured are being transferred to nearby hospitals,” the embassy said, adding that it had set up an emergency response center and teams in contact with patients and their families.
It also mentioned that Pakistan’s Ambassador to Oman Ali visited the hospitals and met the affected Pakistani families.
