News
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Peshawar mosque bombing kills six* 30 others injured as remote-controlled bomb explodes during Zuhr prayers in Mina Bazaar
* 3kg to 4kg explosives used
Staff Report
PESHAWAR: At least six worshippers, including a prayer leader, were killed and 30 others injured in what police said was a remote-controlled blast inside a mosque in the Old City on Saturday.
The bomb was planted just near the mehrab (space for the prayer leader), and the explosion took place right when Zuhr prayers were being offered, SP Imran Shahid told reporters. “It was planed near mehrab. Around 30-40 people were inside Jamia Hanfia Chishtia in Meena Bazaar,” the police official said.
SP (City) Khalid Hamdani said six persons were killed, while Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Javed said three of the wounded were in a critical condition, and were being treated at the Lady Reading Hospital, where a state of emergency had been declared.
Bomb Disposal Squad chief Shafqat Malik said three to four kilogrammes of explosives were used in the device. Ruling out the chances of it being a suicide attack, he said a remote control was used to trigger the explosives. Other BDS officials said ball bearings and needles were also used in it.
Inspector General (IG) Akbar Khan told the media that security is usually tightened outside mosques during the Friday prayers. “Saturday’s blast was unexpected,” he said. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack until the filing of this report.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident, and expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf also condoled with the bereaved families in a message and directed the authorities concerned to provide best medial facilities to the injured.
Peshawar is vulnerable to bomb blasts and Taliban attacks, as it runs into the semi-autonomous tribal belt.
The attack came just six days after a car bomb killed 50 people in Karachi, the fourth in a series of major attacks on the minority Shia community since January 10. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk