Islamic State in Pakistan claims responsibility of Islamabad blast, toll rises to 36

Islamabad/Peshawar (PTI): Regional affiliate of Daesh on Saturday claimed responsibility for the horrendous Shiite mosque attack in Islamabad even as four suspects, including a mastermind, were arrested in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in connection with the blast that took 36 lives.

A 32-years old suicide bomber, identified as Yasir from Peshawar, barged into Khadijatul Kubra mosque-cum-shrine in Tarlie suburbs of capital Islamabad on Friday and detonated his explosives when the worshippers were busy offering the weekly prayer.

Initially, 31 worshippers were killed and 169 injured but authorities said that the death toll rose to 36 after some critically injured died in hospitals.

In a statement on its Amaq News Agency, the Islamic State in Pakistan, an offshoot of Daesh, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the bomber fired at the security guards when they tried to stop him at the gate and exploded near the worshippers inside the mosque.

The terrorist group said that the Pakistani Shiites were a legitimate target as they were a “human reservoir” that provided recruits to Shiite militias fighting the Islamic State in Syria.

Meanwhile, Pakistan authorities said that they arrested four suspects, including three alleged facilitators and the mastermind of the attack. The arrests followed intelligence based raids by the law enforcing agencies in Peshawar and Nowshera area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The authorities had earlier said two brothers of the suicide bomber and his brother-in-law Usman were arrested while his mother had also been detained during the operation late on Friday night.

According to investigation officials, an identity card recovered from them helped establish the attacker’s identity as Yasir.

Official records show that his permanent address was Abbas Colony, Shiro Jangi, Charsadda Road, Peshawar, while his temporary residence was in Ganj Mohalla Qaziyan, Peshawar.

Investigators have also revealed that prior to the Islamabad suicide bombing, the attacker had remained in Afghanistan for approximately five months where he allegedly received formal training in weapons handling and suicide attacks.

Police officials stated that further raids are being conducted in Peshawar and Nowshera to identify potential facilitators and contacts.

In Islamabad, the National Forensic Agency and NADRA, an agency under the Interior Ministry, are engaged to assist in the evidence-gathering process, officials said.

The attacker reportedly used between four to six kilograms of explosive material, sources said, adding, a large number of ball bearings were recovered from the scene. Bullet casings were also recovered from the site of the incident, they said.

Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar said that Afghan soil was being used against Pakistan, as it became clear that the suicide bomber had been going to Afghanistan and received training from there.

“The government is taking strong steps to protect mosques and Imambargahs (shrines),” he said.

The latest terror attack comes less than three months after a suicide blast outside a district and sessions court building in Islamabad that had killed 12 people and injured more than 30.

It was the deadliest bombing in Islamabad since a 2008 Marriott Hotel attack that killed 63 people and wounded more than 250.