Pakistani Authorities Make First Arrests After Deadly Mosque Attack

"Pakistani authorities said four people have been arrested in connection with the suicide bomb attack that killed at least 32 people at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in the capital, Islamabad, as they observed Friday Prayers. Interior Ministry Moshin Naqvi on February 7 said the four are suspected of having helped the suicide bomber in the attack, which also injured some 170 worshippers in Tarlai, a suburb of Islamabad. Mosques across the Muslim world are traditionally crowded during Friday Prayers."

"Naqvi told a news conference that the four people -- including the suspected mastermind -- were arrested following raids in Peshawar and Nowshera. Authorities did not immediately identify the suspects or detail possible motives. Some reports said that five people had been arrested, but the number could not immediately be confirmed. The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the deadliest terror strike in years in the Pakistani capital."

"UN chief Antonio Guterres said he condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack. "Attacks against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable. Those responsible must be identified & brought to justice,"he wrote on social media. Attacks in heavily guarded Islamabad are rare. However, Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces have been hit by violent Islamist and nationalist insurgencies, which pit the Pakistani Taliban and secular ethnic Baluch separatists against Pakistani security forces."

At least 32 people were killed and about 170 worshippers injured in a suicide bombing at a Shi'ite mosque in Tarlai, a suburb of Islamabad, during Friday Prayers. Interior Ministry official Moshin Naqvi said four people suspected of helping the suicide bomber were arrested after raids in Peshawar and Nowshera, including a suspected mastermind, while some reports mentioned five arrests. Authorities have not identified the suspects publicly or detailed motives. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and conflict monitor ACLED said the strike bore IS hallmarks. UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and Islamabad increased security as mourners buried the dead.

Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty