A suicide bomber killed at least 12 people during Friday prayers at a Shi’ite Muslim mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, police said, in a rare but deadly attack in one of the country’s most heavily secured cities.
The blast struck as worshippers gathered for prayers, sending shockwaves through the mosque and leaving dozens wounded, according to two police officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Bombings are uncommon in Islamabad, which hosts key government institutions and foreign diplomatic missions. However, Pakistan has faced a renewed surge in militant violence in recent years, particularly targeting security forces and religious minorities.
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Police said the attacker was intercepted at the mosque’s entrance before detonating the explosive device, limiting—but not preventing—the scale of the casualties.
Images from the scene showed bodies lying on the mosque’s carpeted floor amid shattered glass and debris, while injured worshippers were carried outside to the mosque’s garden as bystanders called for medical assistance.
“I can’t say how many are dead at this moment, but yes, people have died,” said Zafar Iqbal, a senior police official, speaking shortly after the explosion.
Hospitals in the capital were placed on emergency alert as ambulances rushed the wounded for treatment.
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Shi’ite Muslims form a minority in Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni nation of about 241 million people, and have repeatedly been targeted in sectarian attacks over the years.
Militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have previously carried out assaults against Shi’ite communities, whom they consider heretical. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday’s bombing.
The attack follows a November 11 suicide bombing in Islamabad that killed 12 people and wounded at least 27 others. Pakistani authorities said that earlier attack was carried out by an Afghan national, though it was also not claimed by any militant organization, according to Reuters.
Security agencies have launched an investigation into Friday’s bombing, reviewing surveillance footage and examining explosive remnants to identify those responsible.
