A teacher has been arrested after he shot dead six colleagues and wounded two others in southern Saudi Arabia's Jizan region, state television reported on Thursday. Little information is known about the actual incident, with the state television channel only going by the account revealed by an unnamed police spokesman.
Reports on the state television channel's website and Twitter account have failed to offer a reason for the shooting at the education department building, reported the Associated Press. The building is cordoned off as police investigate.
Mass shootings are a rare occurrence in Saudi Arabia, though it has come under a series of attacks as of late by ISIS, according to Al Arabiya.
Currently the kingdom is leading a coalition of countries conducting airstrikes and ground operations in Yemen to support the country's internationally recognized government, while it works to oust Iranian-backed Shia rebels and supporters of ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who control Tehran and other parts of the country.
Jazan, situated on the kingdom's southern border with Yemen, has been targeted by opposing forces since Saudi Arabia intervened in the conflict. Despite the increased militant activity, authorities are treating the incident as a criminal act, rather than one of terrorism, according to the BBC.
Investigators speculate that the shooting was either prompted by issues between the teacher and the principle, or mental illness.
