 A photograph of the suspected bomber who killed at least 25 people in an attack at a shrine in the Pakistani capital was released here yesterday. Nearly 100 people wounded in Friday's bomb blast were being treated in different hospitals, and the death toll was likely to rise with some of the wounded described in critical condition.
The blast occurred inside the compound of the Bari Imam shrine, where thousands of Muslims had gathered to pray. It was just the latest incident of religious violence to rock the Pakistan since it joined the US-led war on terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, but the worst ever attack in the capital, which has largely been spared militant attacks.
| Prior to Pak joining the US-led war on terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 there wasn't any sectarian violence in the country, y'see... |
Police had recovered the head of the suspected bomber with his face still intact, as rest of his body was completely blown up. Authorities have circulated a picture of the suspected bomber, showing a bloodstained, clean-shaven face and announced an 800,000 rupee ($8,300) reward for information.
"Hey! Ain't that Mahmoud?"
"Nah! Mahmoud's much taller than that!" |
"Luckily his face is not damaged. It is very clear and can be easily identified," a police investigator said. "We hope to establish identity within a few days."
| At which point Mom will say it's not him... |
"(Investigators) are trying to identify him. We will soon determine who he is," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said. Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said it was too early to be sure about motive, but the involvement of sectarian militants could not be ruled out.
| "We're hoping it's not the usual... Even though we know it is." |
"Since this was a separate Shiite gathering, there is a possibility of that, but we are not ruling out other options as well," he told reporters after visiting the scene of the blast.
| Coulda been Lutherans, I suppose... |
Investigators say the bomber made his way into the gathering when a group of Shiites was arriving to listen to a sermon. "He sat near the podium for some time and then blew himself up," the police investigator said. President Pervez Musharraf condemned the deadliest attack in the capital for years, and appealed for his countrymen to unite against "religious terrorism, sectarianism and extremism."
| I thought those were the Pak national sports? |
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