ISIS Claims Responsibility for Killing 137 in Yemeni Suicide Bombings
The Associated Press reports that the Yemeni branch of ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of suicide bombings at two mosques in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, that killed at least 137 people and injured more than 300.
The al-Hashoosh and Badr mosques were attacked Friday during midday prayers. According to the BBC, at least two suicide bombers attacked at Badr; one detonated himself inside the mosque while the other waited outside the building's main gates to kill fleeing worshippers.
One witness told the Associated Press that "blood was running like a river" after the attack at al-Hashoosh. "The heads, legs and arms of the dead people were scattered on the floor of the mosque," Mohammed al-Ansi said. From the BBC:
Mr Ansi said that many of those who were not killed by the explosion were seriously injured by shattered glass that fell from the mosque's windows.
The rebel-run al-Masirah TV channel broadcast footage from inside the al-Hashoosh mosque showing volunteers using bloodied blankets to carry away victims. Bodies were also lined up in the prayer hall.
ISIS, which established a division in Yemen last year, described the attack as a "blessed operation" against the "dens of Shiites," according to the Associated Press.
