Updated

Saudi Arabia's state news agency says masked gunmen opened fire on a group of people in the east of the kingdom, killing five and wounding nine others.

The official Saudi Press Agency said the attack happened late Monday evening in the village of al-Dalwah, which is located in the country's al-Ahsa province. The area is one of the main centers for Saudi Arabia's minority Shiite community.

SPA says the attackers shot the victims with pistols and machine guns. There were no further details on the identities of the attackers or the victims. The agency says an investigation is underway.

The attack comes as Shiite Muslims mark Ashoura, which commemorates the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad revered by Shiites.