Thousands Mourn Victims of Pakistan Suicide Bombing
Thousands of grieving attendees, including federal ministers, gathered for the collective funeral service in Islamabad on Saturday.
Pakistani authorities said at least 31 people were killed and 169 injured in a suicide bombing at Imambargah Khadijah-tul-Kubra, a Shia Muslim place of worship in the Shehzad Town area of Islamabad, when the attacker detonated explosives after being confronted by security during weekly Friday prayers in congregation.
Investigators continue probing the assault, though a security official verified that four principal facilitators were detained in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday night.
"At least four key facilitators of the Islamabad blast were arrested last night from the Nowshera and Peshawar districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," a security official, who requested anonymity, told media.
When the operation to arrest the attacker's accomplices was underway in Nowshea after identifying the suicide bomber, militants opened fire on security personnel, killing one police sub-inspector and injuring five other security and intelligence officials, the official said.
Earlier on Friday night, State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that intelligence agencies identified the suicide bomber and reached out to facilitators. However, he did not share further details with the media.
"Investigation is underway, and a final report will be submitted to the prime minister within 72 hours," he told reporters.
The Friday suicide bombing is the second major attack in Islamabad in less than three months.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon strongly condemned the Islamabad suicide bombing and expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan.
"Malaysia stands with the people of Pakistan in this hour of grief. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and express our solidarity with all those affected by this attack," Anwar said on the US social media company X.
President Rahmon, in a message sent to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stated that Tajikistan strongly condemned the attack and emphasized the need for continued efforts against terrorism, according to a statement from the Pakistani President's office.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
