Terror struck Lahore for the third time in two months when an explosives-laden vehicle apparently targeting the ISI headquarters went off in crowded Civil Lines area, killing at least 30 people and leaving nearly 150 injured. ( Watch )
At least four men with rifles stepped from the car and opened fire on the intelligence agency building, then set off a massive blast when security guards returned fire, officials said. Interior minister Rehman Malik suggested the attack could be retaliation for the government’s military offensive to rout Taliban militants from the northwestern Swat Valley.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest bombing. Police said one suspect was detained. Reports said some suspects picked up in connection with the March 3 terror attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team here, were inside the ISI office when the blast took place.
The blast could be an attempt to free Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, Pak media reported. The blast took place on a day when Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was to be presented in the Lahore high court close by.
Source: Times of India
Authors bio is coming up shortly.
