At least 31 killed, dozens wounded in suicide blast at Islamabad mosque | News

Powerful explosion rocks Shia mosque in Pakistani capital’s Tarlai Kalan area during Friday prayers.

A suicide bombing attack at a Shia mosque in Islamabad has killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens more, in one of the worst such incidents to hit Pakistan’s capital.

The powerful explosion occurred at Khadija Tul Kubra mosque, in southeastern Islamabad’s Tarlai Kalan area, during Friday prayers.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the mosque’s security guards tried to intercept the suspect, who opened fire at them before detonating his explosives among the worshippers.

Asif alleged the attacker had been travelling to and from Afghanistan.

In a statement, the Islamabad administration said 169 people were transferred to hospital after rescue teams reached the site of the explosion.

Footage shared on social media and verified by Al Jazeera showed bloodied bodies lying on the floor of the mosque, surrounded by broken glass and debris.

Islamabad resident Aun Shah said his father was “badly” injured in the attack. “He has a hole in his stomach,” he said.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the incident as a “cowardly suicide attack on innocent worshippers”.

“Targeting places of worship and civilians is a heinous crime against humanity and a blatant violation of Islamic principles. Pakistan stands united against terrorism in all its forms,” he posted on X.

At the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital, AFP news agency journalists saw several adults and children being carried in on stretchers or by their arms and legs.

Medics and bystanders helped unload victims with blood-soaked clothes from the back of ambulances and vehicles. At least one casualty arrived in the boot of a car, while friends and relatives of the wounded screamed as they arrived at the hospital’s heavily guarded emergency ward, the news agency reported.

In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his “deep grief” following the incident. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said “targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity”.

“The nation stands with the affected families in this difficult time,” he added.

Top Pakistani Shia leader Raja Abbas Nasir said the incident was not only “a serious failure in protecting human lives but also raises significant questions about the performance of the authorities and law enforcement agencies”.

The United Kingdom’s ambassador to Pakistan, Jane Marriott, condemned the attack in a statement on social media, calling the violence “abhorrent”.

“Outraged and heartbroken by the horrific attack at Imambargah in Islamabad during Friday prayers,” she said. “My thoughts and prayers are with those killed and injured and their families.”

The Delegation of the The European Union in Pakistan said it “condemns all acts of terrorism” and offered its condolences to the families of the victims.

In November last year, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the Islamabad District Judicial Complex, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens.

In September 2008, a suicide bomber detonated a dump truck at Islamabad’s Marriott hotel, killing at least 63 people and wounding more than 250.

Al Jazeera’s Abid Hussain contributed to this report.