The suicide bomber. (Source: AP) The suicide bomber. (Source: AP)

Saudi Arabia has confirmed that Friday’s suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in the east of the country that killed 21 was carried out by an Islamic State militant, backing up an earlier claim by the group.

The Interior Ministry identified the bomber as Saudi citizen Saleh bin Abdul rahman Al-Qashaami in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency late Saturday.

It says he was wanted for being an active member of an Islamic State-linked terrorist cell, and that the explosive use in the bombing was a military-grade compound known as RDX.

The attack in the village of al-Qudeeh in the eastern Qatif region was the deadliest assault by militants in the kingdom since a 2004 al Qaida attack on foreign worker compounds.

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