They are angry and grief-stricken, but Saudi Arabia's minority Shias refused on Sunday to be provoked by a deadly mosque bombing that authorities called an attempt to promote sectarian strife. King Salman vowed punishment for anyone linked to the "heinous crime," which killed 21 people.
The interior ministry confirmed the identity of the suicide bomber who blew himself up inside a Shia mosque in Eastern Province on Friday and said he had links with the Islamic State jihadist group.
It was the deadliest assault in years on the Sunni-dominated kingdom, and marked the first time IS claimed an attack in Saudi Arabia.
"No, no, no... There is no action" in the form of retaliation, a Shia resident who said he lost three friends in the Kudeih village blast told AFP.
"They just want justice."
Naseema Assada, a resident of Shia-majority Qatif city near the stricken village, said she visited seven families affected by the attack.
"They are angry at Daesh and radical Sunnis," but not at Sunnis in general, she said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
Residents said two children were among the dead, and plans were being made for a mass burial. Demonstrators took to the streets of the eastern region on Saturday to denounce the attack.
In neighbouring Bahrain, Shias marched in solidarity with the Saudi victims and clashed with riot police.
The mosque bombing occurred despite security checkpoints in Qatif, residents said.
"This is strange," Assada said. "The government should protect people and if it's not, this is the government's fault."
Such emotions are natural after a deadly incident but police have foiled many plots and have themselves become the most frequent targets of "terrorist" attacks, Interior Ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told reporters on Sunday.
"We did not have any information or evidence that they were about to carry out a terrorist attack in any mosque anywhere in the kingdom," Turki said.
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