Saudi Arabia teacher shoots dead six colleagues in an education department building

A teacher in Saudi Arabia opened fire on her colleagues, killing six people and injuring two, state television has reported. The incident is believed to have taken place on 11 February in the southern province of Jazan.

Local media reports have not elaborated on the details of the incident, with no indication for the reason behind the attack. State television Al Riyadh posted an image of a number of ambulances gathered outside the building in question and reported that the suspected shooter is now believed to be in custody.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry spokesperson, General Mansour Turki, told Al Jazeera that the authorities were treating incident as a criminal attack. While shootings are rare in Saudi Arabia, the country has faced a series of terrorist attacks by the Islamic State (Isis) in recent months.

Saudi Arabia is currently leading a coalition of countries in airstrikes and ground operations in Yemen to support the country's government against Iranian-backed Shiite groups.

The rebels are supporters of the former president of Yemen and control the capital, as well as other parts of the country. Jazan, which lies on Saudi Arabia's southern border with Yemen, has been the target of missile attacks and cross-border fire since Saudi Arabia intervened in the internal conflict.