An Islamist militant group has claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least eight worshippers at a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area of Homs, Syria, on Friday.
In a statement on Telegram, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna announced that its fighters “detonated a number of explosive devices” inside the Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib Mosque. The group – which was formed following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad – previously claimed responsibility for a bombing at a Damascus church in June.”
Quoting a health ministry official, state news agency SANA reported a preliminary toll of at least eight dead and 18 wounded.
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Syria’s interior ministry said in a statement that “a terrorist explosion” targeted the mosque “during Friday prayers”.
Homs was the scene of heavy sectarian violence during Syria’s civil war.
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The ministry imposed a security cordon around the mosque, saying that authorities “have begun investigating and collecting evidence to pursue the perpetrators of this criminal act”.