An apparent bomb blast tore through a mosque in Kuwait’s capital during Friday prayers, killing at least 27 people and wounding at least 227 others, state media reported, citing a security official.
ISIS claimed responsibility for what it called a suicide bombing at the Shiite-affiliated Al-Sadiq mosque.
Cell phone video apparently shot in the aftermath at the mosque and posted to social media showed worshipers walking and stumbling through a dust- and rubble-filled interior, many with their white robes splattered with what appeared to be blood.
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah toured the damaged mosque ahead of emergency Cabinet and parliamentary meetings, the state-run Kuwait News Agency reported.
The country’s Justice and Islamic Affairs minister, Yaqoub Al-Sanea, called the attack “a terrorist and criminal act that threatens our security and targets our national unity,” the news agency said.
The Cabinet declared Saturday an official day of mourning for the victims, the Ministry of Information said.
The Kuwait bombing comes amid fatal terrorist attacks in Tunisia and France.
At least 37 people were killed and 36 wounded when gunmen opened fire at a seaside hotel in Sousse, Tunisia, that is frequented by Western tourists, the country’s health ministry said.
In southeastern France, a man previously on the country’s terrorism watch list caused an explosion at a factory that injured two people. Authorities later found a decapitated body in his van and a severed head nearby.