Suicide Bombing Kills 17 in Saudi Arabia Mosque

Seventeen people were killed in a suicide bombing in a mosque in the town of Abha in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Thursday, international newswires reported, citing a local TV channel.

The Saudi interior ministry has confirmed the attack but put the death toll at "more than 13" people, according to AFP.

The blast took place as worshippers were praying at a mosque used by officers of Special Emergency Force, a domestic security unit, according to Reuters. Most of the people killed in the explosion were members of that agency, according to Saudi TV reports.

It is not clear yet who has carried out the attack and no one has claimed responsibility for it so far.

The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia in May.