An explosion killed at least eight worshippers and injured 18 during Friday prayers at the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in Homs, Syria’s health ministry said Friday. Officials believe an explosive device was detonated inside the building, state agency Sana reported, citing a security source. Sunni extremist group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah claimed responsibility for the attack.
Images from Sana showed scorched black walls, shattered windows, smashed glass, and blood on the mosque carpet. Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, calling it a “terrorist crime” and a “cowardly act” that assaults “human and moral values.” The group said it used explosives planted at the site in collaboration with an unidentified faction.
The blast comes one year after rebel forces overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite. The sect, a major religious minority and offshoot of Shia Islam, has faced waves of sectarian violence since Assad fled to Russia. In March, security forces were accused of killing dozens of Alawites in Latakia, according to SOHR, amid rising fears of reprisals.