Suicide attack in Pakistan during Friday prayers: 31 dead, 160 injured

ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber attacked Friday prayers in Pakistan. The blast killed 31 people and injured 160. The death toll could rise, police said. The blast occurred at Tarlai Imambargah in the Shehzad Town area of the federal capital, Islamabad. This is the main place of worship for the Shia sect in the area.

Security personnel had stopped the bomber at the entrance of the mosque, but he detonated his explosives. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, police sources said the attacker was a foreigner and had links to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Following the blast, police and rescue workers reached the spot and cordoned off the area. The injured have been shifted to various nearby hospitals. Red alert has been declared in hospitals to deal with the emergency situation.

The attack has taken place at a time when Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is in Pakistan for a two-day official visit. This is the second major suicide attack in Islamabad in three months. The latest attack comes more than two months after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army's attack outside the District Sessions Court, which killed 12 people.