Islamic State – Saudi Arabia Province

Branch of the Islamic State

Islamic State Saudi Arabia Province
الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية المملكة العربية السعودية
The logo of the Islamic State's Saudi Arabia Province
Also known as	Najd Province Wilayat Haramayn
Dates of operation	13 November 2014 - 2017
Ideology	Salafism Qutbism Salafi Jihadism Takfirism Anti-Shia sentiment
Size	Unknown
Part of	Islamic State
Opponents	Saudi Arabia Bahrain Iraq Iran Kuwait Oman Qatar United Arab Emirates Yemen

The Islamic State – Saudi Arabia Province (IS–SAP; Arabic: الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية المملكة العربية السعودية, romanized: al-Dawlat al-'Islamiat – Wilayat al-Mamlakat al-Earabiat al-Sueudia), referred to by the Islamic State as its Province of the Two Holy Mosques (Arabic: ولاية الحرمين, romanized: Wilayat al-Haramayn) and self-described as Najd Province (Arabic: ولاية النجد, romanized: Wilayat an-Najd), was a branch of the militant Islamist group Islamic State (IS), active in Saudi Arabia. The group, formed on 13 November 2014, conducted a number of attacks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between November 2014 and March 2017. The group was generally considered less active than other established affiliates of the Islamic State, notably the Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K). As of 2024 the group appears to be inactive.

Operations

IS-SAP was announced on 13 November 2014 by the Islamic State along with six other new wilayat (provinces): Wilayat al-Jazir (Algeria); Wilayats al-Barqah, al-Tarabulus, and al-Fizan (Libya), Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Peninsula), and Wilayat al-Yaman (Yemen). The new province, Wilayat al-Haramayn, was named after the Arabic dual plural of haram (forbidden) referring to the two holies sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The recorded announcement by the Islamic State's then-top leader (caliph), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, called for fighters in Saudi Arabia to begin operations against the country which had been one of the first Arab countries to join the United States-led anti-ISIS coalition (Operation Inherent Resolve) in Iraq and Syria where the group declared its caliphate in 2014. In his call to arms, al-Baghdadi pronounced "O sons of al-Haramayn... the serpent's head and the stronghold of the disease are there draw your swords and divorce life, because there should be no security for the Saloul." Saloul was a derogatory term for the rulers of Saudi Arabia.

Attacks

Attacks attributed to and claimed by IS–SAP, many of which occurred in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, have primarily targeted crowded Shia mosques, Saudi police and security forces, and foreign citizens. Recorded attacks attributed to the group have killed approximately 50 and injured more than 78 others.

Attacks linked to Islamic State – Saudi Arabia Province
Date	Article	Location	Description	Dead	Injured
3 November 2014	None	Al-Ahsa, Eastern Province	Three masked attackers, led by Abdullah bin Saeed al-Sarhan and believed to be ISIS, fired their weapons into a crowd departing a Shia husseiniya the evening before the Shia holiday of Ashura.	5	9
22 November 2014	None	Riyadh City, Riyadh Province	Danish citizen Thomas Høpner was shot in a drive-by shooting while driving from work. Høpner was taken to a hospital and stabilized. ISIS released a video of the attack and claimed responsibility nine days later.	0	1
8 April 2015	None	Riyadh City, Riyadh Province	ISIS militants Yazeed Mohammad Abdulrahman Abu Nayyan and Nawaf bin Sarif Samir al-Enazy killed two Saudi policemen in a drive-by shooting as the two were on patrol. Abu Nayyan confessed to ISIS recruitment and direction.	2	0
22 May 2015	Qatif and Dammam mosque bombings	Qatif, Eastern Province	Suicide bomber Abu 'Ammar al-Najdi detonated a suicide bomb during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque. ISIS claimed responsibility.	21	50+
29 May 2015	Qatif and Dammam mosque bombings	Dammam, Eastern Province	An attacker, disguised as a woman, attempted to enter the women's section of the Imam Hussein mosque, the city's only Shia mosque. After being stopped at a security checkpoint setup outside, the attacker detonated a suicide vest. ISIS claimed responsibility.	4	4
3 July 2015	None	Taif, Mecca Province	Four ISIS militants opened fire on a police officer sent to arrest the militants. Three suspects were detained along with ISIS flags and silencers. One militant, Youssef Abdellatif Shabab al-Ghamdi escaped.	1	0
16 July 2015	None	Riyadh City, Riyadh Province	On the last day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a driver detonated a suicidal car bomb after a routine stop at a police checkpoint. ISIS claimed responsibility.	0	2
6 August 2015	2015 Abha mosque bombing	Abha, Asir Province	A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt inside a Saudi special forces camp mosque near the Saudi border with Yemen. Twelve of the dead were members of a special tactics unit and three were base workers. ISIS was believed to be responsible.	15	9
27 June 2016	None	Riyadh City, Riyadh Province	Two twin brothers, Khalid and Saleh al-Areeni, attacked their family reportedly in a clash over their joining of ISIS. After chasing their younger brother to the rooftop and stabbing him, the brothers stabbed their father and mother. The mother, 67-years-old, died on site.	1	2
7 January 2017	None	Riyadh City, Riyadh Province	Police raiding a residential building to capture ISIS fighters preparing explosives for an attack were engaged in a firefight with two ISIS fighters. The fighters, Taie bin Salem bin Yaslam al-Saya'ari and Talal bin Samran Al-Saedi, wearing suicide belts, took a civilian hostage before being killed.	0	1
8 March 2017	None	Riyadh City, Riyadh Province	Saudi police officers were dispatched to an apartment where witnesses reported an individual "flaunting his support" for ISIS. The ISIS sympathizer reportedly waived his firearm and resisted arrest and was shot dead by police.	0	0

Notes

Both the Islamic State and al-Qaida have referred to the territory of Saudi Arabia as the 'Land of the Two Holy Mosques'. The Arabic term 'al-haramayn' serves as the dual (2) plural of 'al-Haram' (the forbidden ). These two mosques, Masjid al-Haram and the Prophet's Mosque are located in Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, respectively. Insurgent groups use this wording to avoid implicit recognition of either the current government (the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) or the eponymous founding dynasty (the House of Saud), which these groups condemn as apostates and illegitimate authorities.

References

^ "ISIL claims deadly attack on Saudi forces at mosque". Al Jazeera. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
^ Aaron Y. Zelin (28 January 2015). "The Islamic State's model". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
"Islamic State leader urges attacks in Saudi Arabia: speech". Reuters. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
Black, Ian (4 November 2014). "Attack on Shias fans fears of jihadi blowback in Sunni Saudi Arabia". The Guardian.
al-Omran, Ahmed (24 November 2014). "Saudis Link Deadly Attack to Islamic State". The Wall Street Journal.
al-Omran, Ahmed (2 December 2014). "Islamic State Supporters Apparently Claim Responsibility for Shooting of Dane in Saudi Arabia". The Wall Street Journal.
Al-Omran, Ahmed; Grossman, Andrew; Audi, Tamara (24 April 2015). "Saudi Arabia Says Islamic State Behind Riyadh Attack Killing Two Police Officers". The Wall Street Journal.
"Saudi Arabia: casualties after suicide bomber strikes Shia mosque News". The Guardian. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
Al-Shihiri, Abdullah (29 May 2015). "Shiite Mosque in Saudi Arabia Hit By Suicide Bomber, At Least 4 People Killed". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
Aboudi, Sami (3 July 2015). "Saudi policeman killed during security raid - SPA agency". Reuters.
"Car bomb explodes in Riyadh, driver killed — Saudi gov't". The Jordan Times. Agence France-Presse. 17 July 2015.
Fahmy, Omar; Shamseddine, Reem; Hashem, Mostafa (6 August 2015). "Suicide bomber kills 15 in Saudi security site mosque". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016.
"Police gun down ISIS fighters on the streets of Saudi Arabia". The Independent. 8 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
"Saudi security eliminates 'most-wanted' Daesh terrorists". Arab News. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
"Saudi police shoots dead IS suspect; officer killed". Agence France-Presse. 9 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017.

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