At least 31 people were killed and 169 others injured when a suicide bomber attacked a Shiite Muslim mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers, authorities said.
The explosion occurred while the mosque hall was crowded with over 400 worshippers. Witnesses described hearing gunfire immediately followed by a powerful blast. “We had just begun the prayer when we heard the sound of gunfire, followed by a powerful explosion,” said worshipper Syed Ameer Hussain Shah, 47.
Images from the scene showed bodies covered in blood on the mosque floor amid shattered glass and debris. Shoaib, 24, who visited his injured cousin at PIMS Hospital Islamabad, said worshippers rushed to help the wounded while fleeing the mosque.
The attack is the deadliest in Pakistan since January 2023, when a blast at a mosque in Peshawar killed more than 100 people. Although Islamabad has been heavily guarded, the capital has experienced attacks in recent years. A suicide bombing in November killed 12 people, marking the deadliest attack in the city in nearly 20 years.
Pakistan has seen a rising wave of militancy in recent years. Early investigations pointed to suspicion of Pakistan’s Taliban, or Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), police sources said. The TTP denied involvement, stating that its targets are “Pakistan’s security institutions and their collaborators.”
The attack drew international condemnation. The US embassy in Islamabad said on X that “acts of terror and violence against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable.” Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari called the bombing “a crime against humanity” and said the nation stands “shoulder to shoulder with the families affected.” Afghanistan’s foreign ministry also condemned the attack, describing it as a violation of Islamic and humanitarian values.
Authorities have launched a full investigation into the incident, with emergency services continuing to treat the injured.