Suicide attacker kills 12, injures 27 others outside Islamabad court: Interior minister
‘Suicide bomber targeted a police vehicle as he couldn't enter the complex,’ says Mohsin Naqvi
- Suicide bomber targeted a police vehicle as he couldn't enter the complex,’ says Mohsin Naqvi
- Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif accuses India of 'spreading terrorism in the region through its proxies'
- New Delhi rejects ‘baseless, unfounded’ allegations by Sharif
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI
At least 12 people were killed Tuesday and 27 injured in a suicide attack outside a court complex in Islamabad, according to Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
The blast occurred in the parking area of the Judicial Complex.
“The suicide bomber targeted a police vehicle as he couldn't enter the complex,” Naqvi told reporters at the site. Efforts are underway to identify the attacker, he added.
Security sources told Anadolu that the bodies of the 12 victims, most of them civilians, were taken to a hospital and others were transferred for emergency treatment.
Police and emergency teams cordoned off the area and launched an investigation.
President, premier condemn attacks
President Asif Zardari condemned the attack, saying "foreign-sponsored" terrorists operating in Pakistan must be eliminated.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack and accused India for "spreading terrorism in the region through its proxies."
"The time has come for the world to condemn such nefarious conspiracies of India," said Sharif, claiming the attacks were "carried out from Afghan soil with Indian backing."
But India rejected the “baseless and unfounded allegations” made by Sharif.
“It is a predictable tactic by Pakistan to concoct false narratives against India,” the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
“The international community is well aware of the reality and will not be misled by Pakistan’s desperate diversionary ploys,” it added.
The Afghan interim Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, expressed "deep sorrow and condemnation" for the explosion and an attack in Wana in northwestern Pakistan.
Security forces were engaged in an operation against three militants hiding inside a building at Wana Cadet College, said security sources.
About 500 cadets are housed in a hostel on the campus of the college, away from the building where the militants are holed up in South Waziristan, according to sources.
Naqvi said three people had been killed in the operation.
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