Overview
- The explosion at 12:39 local time struck outside Islamabad’s Kachehri court, killing 12 and injuring about 27, according to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
- Naqvi said the bomber waited near the entrance and detonated beside a police vehicle as crowds arrived for hearings.
- Witnesses described panic with bodies at the gate and cars ablaze, and security forces sealed the district that includes several government offices.
- The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan later claimed responsibility, as reported by Al Jazeera and Courrier International, while investigators work to establish the attacker’s identity.
- Pointing to recent violence, including a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attack it says involved an Afghan assailant, Pakistan’s leadership accused Afghanistan of enabling the group, and a statement attributed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also alleged Indian support; New Delhi separately reported a deadly car blast.