Suicide bomber kills 31 in Shi’ite mosque in Pakistan’s capital

(Reuters)

ISLAMABAD, Feb 6 – A suicide bomber killed at least 31 people and wounded almost 170 others during Friday prayers in a Shi’ite Muslim mosque in Islamabad, officials said, in the deadliest attack of its kind in the capital in over a decade.

Images from the site showed bloodied bodies lying on the carpeted mosque floor surrounded by shards of glass, debris and panicked worshippers.

Dozens more wounded were lying in the gardens of the Khadija Tul Kubra Imambargah, in a semi-urban area on the outskirts of Islamabad, as people called for help.

Two police officials said the attacker was stopped at the gate of the mosque before detonating the bomb. They asked not to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media.