Saudi security forces on Friday prevented an imminent attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the country's Interior Ministry said on state-run TV.
A
suspect planning an attack on the mosque blew himself up in a nearby
neighborhood when security forces surrounded a home where the man was
hiding, according to the ministry.
The
suspect refused to comply with demands to surrender, opened fire on
security forces and then killed himself, officials said.
The
explosion caused the partial collapse of the building in which the
suspect was hiding. Six expatriates were injured and taken to a
hospital, and five security personnel received minor injuries, a Saudi
Press official in London told CNN.
Five
people, including one woman, suspected of involvement in the plot were
arrested. Three groups, two based in Mecca and one in Jeddah, planned
the attack, the Interior Ministry said.
The
Grand Mosque, or the Masjid al-Haram, is the largest mosque in the
world and surrounds Islam's holiest site, the Kaaba -- a cube-shaped
shrine that worshippers circle during the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage
that brings millions of people to Mecca.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency said that the identity of the attacker was still being verified but pointed to foreign involvement.
"They
obeyed their evil and corrupt selves serving schemes managed from
abroad whose aim is to destabilize the security and stability of this
blessed country.
"The security
people, with the help of Almighty Allah, and then the unlimited support
of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, will be
able to foil these criminal schemes and arrest those involved in them,"
the agency reported.
