A bomb exploded outside the Prophet’s Mosque in the Saudi city of Medina – one of the holiest sites in Islam – on Monday night, local state television reported.
Multiple videos flooding social media showed charred corpses lying next to the burning husk of a car in the mosque’s car park, as police and ambulance sirens blared, and hundreds of onlookers filmed footage on their smartphones.
Monday is the last night of the holy month of Ramadan, and marks the beginning of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar.
Image of today's blast central #Medina near the #Nabawi Mosque.
#SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/8QoQPzYXBM— Mis wOw (@digital_churail) July 4, 2016
Also known as Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet’s mosque is one of the holiest sites in Islam. It was the second mosque ever built, with the aid of Mohammed himself, who lived in a house next door. His tomb is still located there – sealed off from worshippers – and an iconic green-painted dome has been built over it.
A horrible video of tragic #Madinah incident. Shared by someone on the location. Disturbing visuals. #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/S9ChNp8OLi
— Danyal Gilani (@Danyal_Gilani) July 4, 2016
#Medina: Explosion in Car parking near Janat Al-Baqi outside Prophet Mosque gate # 21, #SaudiArabia. 2 injured. pic.twitter.com/Qp3iVGi9Of
— SherY – (@sherytheketchup) July 4, 2016
عاجل:
بالفيديو #تفجير_الحرم_النبوي يسفر عن استشهاد اثنين من رجال الامن في #المدينة_المنورة #تفجير_القطيف pic.twitter.com/YOc68OjyZl
— مالك معيض (@malik_meed) July 4, 2016
The explosion happened in a parking lot near al-Haram al-Nabawi #SaudiArabia #Medina pic.twitter.com/OG6d7EpYJs
— Majd Khalifeh (@Majd_Khalifeh) July 4, 2016