Four killed in shooting near Oman mosque: police

Muscat: Four people were killed and multiple others wounded in a shooting near a mosque in Oman's capital Muscat, police said Tuesday.

The shooting is a rare occurence in the otherwise stable sultanate, which has a Muslim-majority population, including a small minority of Shiites.

"The Royal Oman Police have responded to a shooting incident that occurred in the vicinity of a mosque in the Al-Wadi Al-Kabir area," police said in a statement.

The force gave an initial toll of four killed and "several others" wounded at the mosque in eastern Muscat.

There were Pakistanis among the wounded, but the numbers have yet to be confirmed, according to Islamabad's embassy in Oman.

Pakistan's ambassador to Oman, Imran Ali, visited some of the wounded in the hospital, the embassy posted on social media platform X.

In a video message posted on X, he urged Pakistanis in Oman to cooperate with local authorities and avoid the area where the shooting occurred.

The US embassy in Muscat issued a security alert following the shooting and cancelled all visa appointments Tuesday.

"US citizens should remain vigilant, monitor local news and heed directions of local authorities," the embassy wrote on social media platform X.

Footage verified by AFP shows people fleeing near Imam Ali Mosque, its minaret visible, as gunshots ring out.

Police said "all necessary security measures and procedures have been taken to handle the situation" following the attack.

"The authorities are continuing to gather evidence and conduct investigations to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident," police added on X.

The area was still cordoned off later on Tuesday, with journalists unable to access the mosque, according to an AFP photographer there.

Oman has a population of over four million people, more than 40 percent of whom are expatriate workers, according to government statistics.