Pakistan arrests four, including alleged mastermind, after mosque bombing
Pakistani authorities say four suspects were detained after a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed 31 and wounded 169.
A suicide bombing that tore through a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad during Friday prayers left 31 people dead and 169 wounded, and prompted security forces to arrest four suspects, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Saturday. Naqvi identified one of the detainees as the alleged mastermind and described him as an Afghan linked to the Islamic State.
The attack struck the mosque in the Tarlai area while worshipers were gathered for Friday prayers. Authorities and local media said children were among the casualties. Images and eyewitness accounts from the scene captured the chaos after the blast and the rush to hospitals as funerals were being prepared the next day.
An Islamic State affiliate calling itself Islamic State in Pakistan claimed responsibility in a statement carried by Amaq News Agency. The Amaq statement said the attacker opened fire on security guards at the main gate, reached the mosque’s inner gate and then detonated an explosive vest. The group’s statement described Shiite Muslims as “legitimate targets” and a “human reservoir” that supplied recruits for militias fighting the group in Syria.
Naqvi said security forces had carried out raids at multiple locations that resulted in the four arrests. He told reporters the
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
