Four people have been arrested on suspicion of facilitating a suicide bombing that killed more than 30 people on Friday, Pakistan's interior minister has said.
Mohsin Naqvi said an Afghan national who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the attack was among those detained. One counter-terrorism officer was killed and three more were wounded in the raids to arrest the suspects, he added.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the bombing that targeted Friday prayers at the Shia mosque in the Tarlai area, when it was packed with worshippers.
More than 160 people were injured in the blast, which was the deadliest in the capital for more than a decade.
Huge crowds were seen in the city on Saturday, as thousands of mourners gathered for the funerals of the bombing's 32 victims. Funeral prayers took place amid tightened security, with soldiers standing guard and police checkpoints set up in key areas. Ashiq Hussain, who lost his 21-year-old nephew Mujtaba Ali in the attack, told the Reuters news agency his family was 'broken'.
Condemning the attack on Friday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed 'deep grief'. The country's President, Asif Ali Zardari, said 'targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity'.
Eyewitnesses and survivors of the blast have told reporters about their harrowing experiences, with one saying he 'lost his senses' in the moments after the explosion and another describing bodies 'lying everywhere'.
Accompanying Naqvi's announcement of the arrests, he accused India of funding those behind the attack and providing them targets. The Indian foreign ministry has condemned the bombing, rebutting accusations of involvement as 'baseless'.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested Afghanistan had been involved in the attack, but the Afghan Taliban government deemed this assertion 'regrettable', stating there was 'no credible evidence' presented.
Naqvi pledged to boost security in Islamabad, including recruiting thousands of new police officers and enhancing the city’s intelligent security systems.
Following a troubling week that saw at least 58 civilians killed in coordinated attacks across Balochistan, this latest bombing highlights a concerning trend in violent extremism in Pakistan.
Mohsin Naqvi said an Afghan national who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the attack was among those detained. One counter-terrorism officer was killed and three more were wounded in the raids to arrest the suspects, he added.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the bombing that targeted Friday prayers at the Shia mosque in the Tarlai area, when it was packed with worshippers.
More than 160 people were injured in the blast, which was the deadliest in the capital for more than a decade.
Huge crowds were seen in the city on Saturday, as thousands of mourners gathered for the funerals of the bombing's 32 victims. Funeral prayers took place amid tightened security, with soldiers standing guard and police checkpoints set up in key areas. Ashiq Hussain, who lost his 21-year-old nephew Mujtaba Ali in the attack, told the Reuters news agency his family was 'broken'.
Condemning the attack on Friday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed 'deep grief'. The country's President, Asif Ali Zardari, said 'targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity'.
Eyewitnesses and survivors of the blast have told reporters about their harrowing experiences, with one saying he 'lost his senses' in the moments after the explosion and another describing bodies 'lying everywhere'.
Accompanying Naqvi's announcement of the arrests, he accused India of funding those behind the attack and providing them targets. The Indian foreign ministry has condemned the bombing, rebutting accusations of involvement as 'baseless'.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested Afghanistan had been involved in the attack, but the Afghan Taliban government deemed this assertion 'regrettable', stating there was 'no credible evidence' presented.
Naqvi pledged to boost security in Islamabad, including recruiting thousands of new police officers and enhancing the city’s intelligent security systems.
Following a troubling week that saw at least 58 civilians killed in coordinated attacks across Balochistan, this latest bombing highlights a concerning trend in violent extremism in Pakistan.
