Saudi Shia mobilize self-defence groups as IS threat grows

Members of Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority are forming civil defense

Members of Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority are forming civil defense groups after twin suicide bombings over the past two Fridays — claimed by the so-called Islamic (IS).

The attacks, which killed about 25 people, mark an escalation of IS activity in the oil-rich kingdom, with the group saying it wants to rid the Arabian peninsula of Shia Muslims. Last November, IS gunmen killed seven worshippers at a Shia shrine in al-Ahsa, in eastern Saudi Arabia.

The worst sectarian atrocities in the kingdom’s modern history have prompted the formation of civil defense groups among the country’s 10-15 per cent Shia minority, an “unprecedented development”, according to analysts.

Activists say the self-defense groups have detained people on suspicion of planning to carry out further attacks, handing them over to security forces.