ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the suicide bomber was planning to detonate an explosion inside the premises of the Islamabad District Judicial Complex, which houses several district courts.
Addressing a press conference at the blast site, the security czar confirmed that at least 12 people were martyred and 27 were injured in a suicide blast on Tuesday.
Naqvi stated that a suicide attack took place at 12:39 pm, adding that the attacker was planning to detonate an explosion inside the court. “When he did not get an opportunity to enter the court, he attacked a police vehicle,” the minister said.
“The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed immediate treatment of the injured,” Naqvi said, adding that the priority will be to identify the suicide bomber.
“There are many messages in this attack. If someone from another country is involved, it will not be forgiven,” he warned.
He did not blame any militant group but added that authorities are “looking into all aspects” of the attack.
Earlier, police said that the explosion took place in a vehicle outside the district courts. The nearby vehicles caught fire after the explosion.
According to eyewitnesses, two separate blasts were heard, which caused both the motorcycle and a nearby car to catch fire simultaneously.
Police and rescue personnel reached the site after the explosion. The law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area, and the Judicial Complex building was evacuated.
Lawyers, judges, and civilians have been taken out from the back gate of the district courts, sources said.
Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 and law enforcers shifted the injured people and the deceased to PIMS. Authorities have imposed an emergency at PIMS, and a heavy contingent of police has also reached the hospital.
Islamabad deputy inspector general (DIG), the chief commissioner, and the forensic team arrived at the site of the explosion.
