Mar 18, 2013

Militant Attack Hits Pakistan Court Complex in Peshawar


At least four people have been killed and 29 injured in a suspected suicide attack on a court and prison complex in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Two attackers were intercepted by police - one was killed in crossfire and the other blew himself up near a crowded courtroom, police said.

It is unclear if the target was the court or the jail next door.

Police say the courts have been secured for daily business, but the scene of the explosion has been cordoned off.

Peshawar has come under frequent attack by militant groups in recent years.

In 2009 at least 19 people were killed when militants launched a suicide attack on the same court in Peshawar's Khyber Road.

This latest attack comes a day after Pakistan saw the completion of a full term by an elected government for the first time in the country's history.

Witnesses present at two of the busiest courtrooms recount that there was firing, followed by an explosion nearby that shattered the doors and windows of the building.

Many people were injured, including a female lawyer.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told media that "this may be an attempt to disrupt the coming elections".

It is not clear how the bombers entered the high-security zone.

The complex is located close to the residence of the army's Peshawar Corps Commander, the city's main prison and its sole five-star hotel, the Pearl Continental.

Source: BBC News  

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