Suicide bombing in Islamabad kills 12, says Pakistan’s interior minister

The Pakistani Interior Minister said that a suicide attack outside a court in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, killed 12 people and wounded at least 27 others.

Mohsin Naqvi said that the attacker was planning to attack the district court, but was unable to enter.

Naqvi said that the authorities will give priority to identifying the attacker, and those involved will be brought to justice.

Suicide bombings in Islamabad have been rare in recent years. Footage from the scene on Tuesday showed the remains of a burned-out car and a police cordon at the scene.

Naqvi said that the 27 injured were receiving medical treatment.

He added that the attacker detonated the bomb near a police car after waiting for up to 15 minutes.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said he “strongly condemns the suicide bombing.”

Meanwhile, the lawyer, who said he was parking his car outside the court at the time, described hearing a “loud bang.”

“It was complete chaos,” Rustom Malik told AFP news agency.

He added, “Lawyers and people were running inside the complex.” He added: “I saw two bodies lying at the gate, and several cars were burning.”