Islamic State – Saudi Arabia Province

The Islamic State – Saudi Arabia Province (IS–SAP; الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية المملكة العربية السعودية), referred to by the Islamic State as its Province of the Two Holy Mosques (ولاية الحرمين) and self-described as Najd Province (ولاية النجد), was a branch of the militant Islamist group Islamic State (IS), active in Saudi Arabia. The group, formed on 13 November 2014, conducted a number of attacks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between November 2014 and March 2017. The group was generally considered less active than other established affiliates of the Islamic State, notably the Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K). As of 2024 the group appears to be inactive.

Operations
IS-SAP was announced on 13 November 2014 by the Islamic State along with six other new wilayat (provinces): Wilayat al-Jazir (Algeria); Wilayats al-Barqah, al-Tarabulus, and al-Fizan (Libya), Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Peninsula), and Wilayat al-Yaman (Yemen). The new province, Wilayat al-Haramayn, was named after the Arabic dual plural of haram (forbidden) referring to the two holies sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The recorded announcement by the Islamic State's then-top leader (caliph), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, called for fighters in Saudi Arabia to begin operations against the country which had been one of the first Arab countries to join the United States-led anti-ISIS coalition (Operation Inherent Resolve) in Iraq and Syria where the group declared its caliphate in 2014. In his call to arms, al-Baghdadi pronounced "O sons of al-Haramayn... the serpent's head and the stronghold of the disease are there draw your swords and divorce life, because there should be no security for the Saloul." Saloul was a derogatory term for the rulers of Saudi Arabia.

Attacks
Attacks attributed to and claimed by IS–SAP, many of which occurred in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, have primarily targeted crowded Shia mosques, Saudi police and security forces, and foreign citizens. Recorded attacks attributed to the group have killed approximately 50 and injured more than 78 others.