Peshawar suicide bomber was Pakistani Taliban disguised as policeman, official says

Posted on by


Islamabad, Pakistan
CNN
 — 

The suicide bomber who focused a mosque inside a police compound in Peshawar, killing greater than 80 individuals, was a member of the Pakistani Taliban disguised as a policeman, a senior official mentioned Thursday.

CCTV footage reveals the suspected bomber arriving at a police checkpoint on a scooter Monday, asking a constable the path to the mosque, and being let by since he was in uniform, mentioned Moazzam Jah Ansari, police chief of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“This was a suicide bomber and we have traced his movement. He was in a police uniform,” Ansari mentioned.

“We are closing in on the network. Every life of our martyrs will be avenged,” he added.

Officials had beforehand put the demise toll at greater than 100, however among the our bodies have been counted twice, Ansari mentioned. The blast additionally injured 217.

The improvement comes in the future after police in Peshawar arrested a number of suspects.

Police consider 12 kilograms (26.5 kilos) of explosives have been utilized by the bomber.

Video footage confirmed the destroyed partitions of the mosque, its glass home windows and paneling destroyed by the highly effective explosion.

Emergency staff looked for survivors, however authorities mentioned most of these discovered underneath the rubble have been already useless.

Security officials inspect the site of the mosque attack in Peshawar.

The blast Monday highlights the deteriorating safety scenario in Peshawar, capital of the restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan, and the location of frequent assaults by the Pakistani Taliban, generally known as Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP).

The TTP has despatched out conflicting messages about whether or not it was behind the assault.

Read also  China looms giant as Biden makes submarine strikes with UK, Australia

TTP officers Sarbakaf Mohmand and Omar Mukaram Khurasani beforehand mentioned the blast was “revenge” for the demise of TTP militant Khalid Khorasani final 12 months.

But the TTP’s primary spokesperson, Muhammad Khorasani, later denied the group was concerned.

The assault comes throughout a rocky interval for Pakistan, which can also be combating a price of residing disaster and a faltering economic system made worse by devastating floods final 12 months.