A teacher opened fire at an education department building in southern Saudi Arabia Thursday, killing six employees and wounding two, state television reported.



The attack took place in the Jizan region, Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman General Mansour Turki said, according to Reuters.

The gunman – identified as a teacher -- has been arrested, according to media reports, citing Saudi Arabia state television.

The brief reports on the state television channel's website and Twitter account did not elaborate or offer a reason for the shooting.

State TV posted a still photograph that showed ambulances gathered outside the building where the shooting took place in Jazan province.

Mass shootings are rare in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has faced a series of recent attacks by Islamic State militants.

Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of countries conducting airstrikes and ground operations in neighboring Yemen in support of the deeply impoverished country's internationally recognized government. It is fighting against Iranian-backed Shiite rebels and supporters of a former president, who control the capital and other parts of the country.

Jazan, on the kingdom's southern border with Yemen, has been targeted by missiles and cross-border fire since Saudi Arabia intervened in the conflict. On Tuesday, authorities said they shot down a ballistic missile targeting the city and that a police officer in the surrounding province was killed in a separate shooting incident.

In October, two people were killed and another two were wounded when a gunman opened fire inside a bank in the city of Jazan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

