At least 12 people were killed today outside a court in the capital, Islamabad, as the interior minister announced.
“At 12:39 (local time, 09:39 Greek time) there was a suicide attack in Kaheri” where the court is located, Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters at the scene, citing 12 dead and 27 wounded.
Suicide blast in Islamabad outside a court by the Indian sponsored terrorists. This must not be tolerated. India is running false flag attacks on its soil and orchestrating terrorism on Pakistan’s soil. …
— LAFZ DIGITAL (@LafzDigital)
Some of the injured are in a critical condition, a hospital source told Reuters, raising fears that the death toll could rise.
The bomber tried to enter the court on foot, but detonated the device outside it, near a police vehicle, after waiting there for 10-15 minutes, Naqvi said.
“We are investigating the incident from various angles. It wasn’t a bomb yet. It happened inside Islamabad,” the minister said.
In this residential area, witnesses earlier reported hearing a loud explosion.
“As I parked my car and entered the compound … I heard a loud explosion at the entrance,” said lawyer Rustam Malik. “It was absolute chaos, lawyers and citizens were running towards the interior of the complex. I saw two bodies lying near the door and several cars burning,” added the lawyer, one of the witnesses who spoke to AFP.
Security forces cordoned off the area, which is also home to many government agencies.