Suicide bomber kills at least 12 outside court building in Pakistan capital
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Pakistani police officers on a road cordoned off after a blast outside a court building in Islamabad on Nov 11.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ISLAMABAD - A suicide bomber killed at least 12 people outside a court building in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Nov 11, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said.
Several others were wounded and some were in a critical condition, a hospital source said.
The bomber tried to enter the court building on foot but detonated the device outside, close to a police vehicle, after waiting there for 10 to 15 minutes, Mr Naqvi told reporters at the site.
“We are investigating this incident from different angles. It is not just another bombing. It happened right in Islamabad,” the minister said.
The blast occurred near the entrance of Islamabad’s district court, which is typically crowded with many litigants.
“As I parked my car and entered the complex... I heard a loud bang at the gate,” lawyer Rustam Malik, one of the witnesses who spoke to AFP news agency, said after the blast.
Mr Mohammed Shahzad Butt, another lawyer, said the blast occurred around 12.30pm (3.30pm Singapore time).
“It was a massive blast. Everyone started running inside out of panic. I have seen at least five dead bodies lying at the front gate,” he told AFP.
People covered in blood lay next to a police van, in videos and pictures on local media.
Police and paramilitary troops have cordoned off the area, which houses several government offices. REUTERS, AFP
