Additional Coverage:
Pakistan Arrests Four in Deadly Mosque Bombing, Mastermind Identified
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani authorities have apprehended four suspects, including the alleged mastermind, in connection with Friday’s devastating suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad. The attack tragically claimed 31 lives and wounded 169 others, with children among the casualties.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced the arrests on Saturday, a day after a regional affiliate of the Islamic State group, identifying itself as Islamic State in Pakistan, claimed responsibility through its Amaq News Agency. According to their statement, the assailant opened fire on security guards attempting to stop him at the main gate before detonating an explosive vest upon reaching the mosque’s inner entrance.
Witnesses described a scene of utter horror. Zahir Hussain, who was parking his car to attend Friday prayers, recounted being thrown against his vehicle by the massive explosion. “After that, for a while there was horrific silence, then what I saw in the mosque, I don’t have words to explain it,” Hussain said.
This incident marks the deadliest attack in Islamabad since a 2008 suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel killed 63 people. In November, a separate suicide attack outside a courthouse in the capital resulted in 12 fatalities.
Naqvi identified the alleged mastermind as an Afghan with ties to IS, claiming the attack was planned and the bomber trained in Afghanistan with financial backing from India. However, he did not immediately provide evidence for these assertions, and there has been no immediate comment from New Delhi or Kabul.
The Interior Minister further alleged that several militant groups are operating from Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan, urging the international community to take notice and warning of potential regional instability. Addressing public concerns about security, Naqvi stated, “If one blast happens, 99 others are being foiled as well.”
The terror group responsible for the bombing, a Sunni extremist organization, has previously targeted Pakistan’s Shiite minority, viewing them as a “human reservoir” providing recruits to Shiite militias fighting the Islamic State in Syria.
Earlier on Saturday, over 2,000 mourners gathered at the same mosque for the funerals of about a dozen victims, joined by Shiite community leaders and senior government officials. Funerals for other victims are scheduled to be held in their respective hometowns.
In 2022, IS also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shiite Muslim mosque in Peshawar, which killed at least 56 people and wounded 194.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif suggested on Friday that the attack indicated Pakistan-based militants operating from Afghanistan could strike even in the capital. This drew a sharp response from Afghanistan’s Taliban government, whose Defense Ministry condemned the attack but called Asif’s remarks “irresponsible” for linking it to Afghanistan. Pakistan frequently accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants, including members of the Pakistani Taliban, a claim Kabul denies.
The attack has drawn widespread international condemnation from the United States, Russia, and the European Union, among others. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude for the global messages of sympathy and support, emphasizing the critical role of international assistance in Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts and vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.
While Islamabad has experienced relatively fewer attacks compared to other regions, Pakistan has seen a recent surge in militant violence, largely attributed to Baloch separatists and the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a group allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban.