IS claims Saudi blast

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RIYADH, April 3, (Agencies): An improvised explosive device planted next to a police station south of the Saudi capital Riyadh killed one person, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement carried on state news agency SPA on Sunday.

The ministry said at least three police cars were damaged in the explosion at a parking lot on Saturday night that killed an expatriate man, but gave no further details on who was behind the attack. An Islamic State affiliate, calling itself the Nejd Province branch of the organisation, claimed responsibility for the blast, which took place in al-Dilam, a small city located about 100 kms (62 miles) south of Riyadh.

The group said in a statement earlier on Sunday it had set off two explosive devices in front of the police station and caused damage to vehicles, but did not specify casualties. Saudi Arabia has been hit by a spate of deadly shootings and bomb attacks since last year, many of them laid at the door of Islamic State.

The group is bitterly opposed to Gulf Arab rulers and is seen as trying to stir up sectarian confrontation on the Arabian peninsula to bring about the overthrow of the ruling dynasties. There have been several attacks in Saudi Arabia over the past year carried out by local Islamic State group affiliates.

The Najd Province affiliate is the kingdom’s most active. It claimed responsibility for two major bombings in eastern Saudi Arabia and one in Kuwait that killed 53 people at Shiite mosques last May and June.

Najd Province is the traditional name for the central heartland of the peninsula and the homeland of the ruling Al Saud family. Another IS-inspired group, calling itself the Hijaz Province affi liate, said it was behind a mosque bombing inside a police compound that killed 15 people in August. The Bahrain Province affi liate claimed responsibility for a shooting in eastern Saudi Arabia that killed fi ve worshippers in October.

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