At least 31 killed in suicide blast at Islamabad mosque

A suicide attack at a Shia mosque in Islamabad has killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens more, in one of the worst such incidents to hit Pakistan’s capital.

The powerful explosion occurred at Khadija Tul Kubra mosque, in southeastern Islamabad’s Tarlai Kalan area, during Friday prayers.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the incident as a “cowardly suicide attack on innocent worshippers”.

“Targeting places of worship and civilians is a heinous crime against humanity and a blatant violation of Islamic principles. Pakistan stands united against terrorism in all its forms,” he posted on X.

Earlier, a senior police official had told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity that the explosion appeared to be a suicide attack but the conclusive cause was yet to be determined.

“Our team is present at the site and we’re in process of confirming the cause,” he said.

A security source told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity that the attacker detonated himself after being stopped at the gate of the mosque.

In a statement, the Islamabad administration said 169 people were transferred to hospital after rescue teams reached the site of the explosion.
Footage shared on social media and verified by Al Jazeera showed bloodied bodies lying on the floor of the mosque, surrounded by broken glass and debris.

At the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital, AFP journalists saw several adults and children being carried in on stretchers or by their arms and legs.

Medics and bystanders helped unload victims with blood-soaked clothes from the back of ambulances and vehicles. At least one casualty arrived in the boot of a car, while friends and relatives of the wounded screamed as they arrived at the hospital’s heavily guarded emergency ward, the news agency reported.

In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his “deep grief” following the incident.
The United Kingdom’s ambassador to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, condemned the attack in a statement on social media, calling the violence “abhorrent”.

“Outraged and heartbroken by the horrific attack at Imambargah in Islamabad during Friday prayers,” she said. “My thoughts and prayers are with those killed and injured and their families.”

In November last year, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the Islamabad District Judicial Complex, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens.

In September 2008, a suicide bomber detonated a dump truck at Islamabad’s Marriott hotel, killing at least 63 people and wounding more than 250.