Police officials arrest three alleged facilitators and mastermind of the attack late on Friday
Mourners attend the funeral of Shiite Muslims, a day after a suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad on February 7. PIC/PTI
An affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility overnight for a deadly suicide bombing inside a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital that killed 36 people and wounded 169 others, as mourners gathered Saturday under tight security at the same mosque for funerals for the victims.
The regional Islamic State affiliate, known as Islamic State in Pakistan, claimed responsibility in a statement posted on its Amaq News Agency. It said the attacker opened fire on security guards who tried to stop him at the main gate and detonated his explosive vest after reaching the mosque’s inner gate.
A police official said that during the operation late on Friday night, four suspects, including a mastermind, were arrested in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in connection with the blast. According to investigation officials, an identity card recovered from them helped establish the attacker’s identity as 32-year-old Yasir from Peshawar.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was grateful for the messages of sympathy and support received “from across the globe” following what he called the “heart-wrenching suicide attack in Islamabad.” He said international support remained critical to Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts.
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