Saeed Haider
Saudi Gazette
DAMMAM — The five victims of Sihat terrorist attack were buried Tuesday at the Sihat cemetery and at Al-Mubarraz cemetery in Al-Ahsa.
Hundreds of people irrespective of sectarian affiliations joined the funeral procession in Sihat to pay last homage to the dead. Sheikh Syed Ali Nasser led the funeral prayer at Sihat.
The two buried at Sihat were 18-year-old medical student Buthaina Al-Abbad who was hit by a bullet in her back, and 17-year-old student Ayman Al-Ajmi.
After the funeral prayer, Sheikh Syed Ali Nasser appealed to the people to maintain calm and peace in this hour of crisis. He said the terrorist group Daesh has miserably failed to create a sectarian divide in the country.
“We are one people, one nation and follow one religion. Nothing can ever divide us,” he said.
Five people were killed when a terrorist identified as Shuja Al-Dosarry of Riyadh and belonging to Daesh’s Bahraini cell opened fire in front of a Husainiyah congregation hall in Al-Kawther area in Sihat in which nine others were injured.
According to hospital sources, all those injured are in stable condition. Eastern Province Emir Prince Saud Bin Naif, who earlier visited the injured, has instructed hospital administration to provide the best possible treatment to the injured.
The other three victims of the firing Abdul Sattar Abu Saleh, Ali Salem and Abdullah Al-Jassem were buried at Al-Mubarraz cemetery in Al-Ahsa.
A group of citizens had set up a committee in coordination with the security forces for the safe and smooth movement of funeral procession at both the locations.
Meanwhile, residents in the Eastern Province deplored the terrorist attack on innocent people first in Qatif, then in Al-Anoud Mosque and now at Al-Kawther Husainiya. Tareq Al-Dosarry, a resident of Al-Khobar, said such an inhuman act was absolutely unIslamic. These terrorists fail to realize that we stand united, and no such act will ever cause rift among us.
“These attacks are exposing the nefarious designs of Daesh or other terrorist groups. They want to create sectarian divide, but we the people have defeated their design. We showed patience, tolerance and love for our country,” said Basheer Al-Tarouty of Tarout, near Qateef.
Al-Mazroui, an employee at a petrochemical company and a resident of Qatif, said that every attack strengthens our unity and our resolve to confront them with peace and tolerance.
Meanwhile, security in the Eastern Province has been tightened with spot checks and roadblocks in Dammam, Al-Khobar, Qatif, Sihat, Qudaeh and Tarout.
Security forces have urged citizens and residents to remain vigilant and contact the police if they see any suspicious movement or person.
