ISLAMABAD: A suicide bombing outside district court buildings in a residential area of the Pakistani capital Islamabad killed 12 people and wounded 27 on Tuesday (Nov 11), the interior minister said.
“At 12:39pm (3.39pm, Singapore time), a suicide attack was carried out at the Kachehri (district courts) … so far 12 people have been martyred and around 27 are wounded,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters at the scene of the incident.
The blast, which sent people fleeing and damaged vehicles in the area, occurred near the entrance of the Islamabad district court, which is typically crowded with litigants.
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, Naqvi told reporters.
“We are investigating this incident from different angles. It is not just another bombing. It happened right in Islamabad,” the minister said.
Local media showed gory pictures of the site, with bloodied individuals lying near a police van, which Reuters was not able to verify independently.
One witness told AFP that he saw two bodies at the scene.
“As I parked my car and entered the complex … I heard a loud bang on the gate,” lawyer Rustam Malik said after the blast.
“It was complete chaos, lawyers and people were running inside the complex. I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars were on fire,” said Malik.
Mohammed Shahzad Butt, another lawyer, called the explosion “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.
Police and paramilitary troops cordoned off the area, which houses several government offices, including the administrative commissioner and deputy commissioner.
