DUBAI: Gulf Arab states have condemned a deadly shooting claimed by militants at a Shia mosque in Oman, an unprecedented attack for the normally stable sultanate that has sparked concern among its neighbours.

Monday's shooting killed at least six people - four Pakistanis, an Indian and an Omani police officer - and wounded 28, police said.

It was the first known operation claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group in the sultanate which is among the most stable countries in the Middle East.

The neighbouring United Arab Emirates expressed its "strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence".

A Foreign Ministry statement said the attack "undermines security and stability, and endangers" the lives of Omanis.

Bahrain's Foreign Ministry called the shooting a "heinous attack that goes against all religious and moral values and aims to destabilise the security and stability of Oman".

The secretary general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem al-Budaiwi, "affirmed the full support and solidarity of GCC countries" with their fellow member state.

Saudi Arabia praised "the speed and efficiency" with which Omani authorities dealt with the shooting.

The attack was claimed by the Sunni extremists of IS, who claimed similar attacks on Shiite mosques in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 2015.

The group, which regards Shias as heretics, also claimed responsibility for two bombings in mainly Shia Iran in January that killed nearly 100 people.

Monday's attack came ahead of Ashura, an annual day of mourning that commemorates the seventh-century death in battle of Imam Hussein, regarded by Shia as the rightful successor to Prophet Mohammed.

In a statement Tuesday, IS' Aamaq propaganda arm said the attack targeted "Shia practising their annual rituals".

The militant group once controlled swathes of Iraq and Syria before it was declared defeated in 2019 following multiple military campaigns.

Despite the loss of its self-declared "caliphate", the group has continued to mount attacks on civilians and security personnel in both countries.  

  - AFP