PESHAWAR: The FIR [first information report] of suicide attack at Jamia Masjid Kocha Risaldar has been registered in Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station on the complaint of Khan Razzaq police station’s Station House Officer (SHP).
At least 57 people have so far been confirmed dead and more than 190 injured in a suicide attack at the Shia mosque in the Qissa Khawani area on Friday. The atmosphere in the city was mournful as the funeral prayers and burial of the deceased was going on since last night.
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The law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the mosque and no one was allowed to enter it. The CCTV footage shows a clean-shaven suicide attacker, dressed in a black shalwar kameez, walking down the street to the entrance of the mosque. He opened fire on the police officer who tried to stop him from entering the mosque. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police has said that five kilograms of explosives and over hundred ball bearings were used in the incident. The police chief told the media that policemen were present at the spot and the first bullet was fired at the police by the attacker.
The plaque outside the mosque states that its construction was completed in 1995. The three-story building use to house hundreds of worshipers on Friday. According to the AFP, ISIS on its propaganda website has claimed responsibility for attacking a Shiite mosque in Peshawar. The attack was widely condemned and Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to clean the country from terrorism.
President of Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandyar Wali Khan strongly condemned the attack. He said that it is “alarming” that a new wave of unrest spread across the country, including in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The government and the state have failed to protect the citizens. If steps are not taken, the situation will get worse,” the ANP leader has warned in a statement. He added that the fresh wave of terrorism has left the people insecure. The ANP chief said, “the blasts in Quetta and Peshawar indicates a worrying situation.”