A suicide bomber struck a Shiite mosque in Kuwait, killing 25 people and injuring 202 others as they worshiped Friday during the holy month of Ramadan, the Interior Ministry said.
The self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement circulated on social media that could not be independently verified.
Photos and amateur video from the scene at the packed al-Imam al-Sadiq mosque in Kuwait City showed men with white robes covered in blood.
The Kuwaiti cabinet was set to convene an emergency session, as the head of the top Islamic council in the country, Yakoub al Sanea, condemned the "terrorist" attack, according to state news agency Kuna.
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, an ISIS spokesman, called for supporters of the extremist movement around the world to launch attacks during Ramadan against the "enemies" of Islam.
The Gulf nation, which has a mixed population of Sunni and Shiite Muslims, has enjoyed relative security and stability, despite often turbulent parliamentary politics. Shiites make up about 30 per cent of the country.
Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah went to the site of the blast and later visited the injured, pledging the attack would not affect "national unity."
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