32°29′52″N 74°32′45″E / 32.49778°N 74.54583°E
| Sialkot mosque bombing | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 October 2004 |
Attack type | Car bombing |
| Weapons | Improvised explosive device |
| Deaths | 31 |
On 1 October 2004, a bombing occurred at the Zainabia mosque[1] in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan.[2] Hundreds of Shia Muslims were attending Friday prayers in the mosque at the time.[2] The improvised explosive device was hidden in a briefcase and exploded in the centre of the prayer hall.[2] It killed 31 people and injured dozens of others.[3] A second bomb weighing about twelve kilograms was found in a briefcase and defused by a bomb disposal squad.[4]
Bombing
editBefore the explosion, witnesses identified a "youth carrying a briefcase" entering the mosque.[3] At 1:25p.m. PKT (8:25a.m. UTC), an explosive device was set off in the mosque hall, instantly killing 16 people and injuring dozens.[3][4] The explosion left a 0.60 meter (2 ft) deep crater and shattered windows on nearby buildings.[4] Fifteen injured victims later died of their injuries.[3]
After the explosion, two unidentified individuals threw another briefcase at the entrance of the mosque and fled. The briefcase had 12kg of explosive material, which was defused by a bomb disposal squad.[4]
Aftermath
editOn 1 and 2 October, there were riots in Sialkot in response to the bombing.[3] Shia rioters set fire to a police station and the mayor's office.[3] They looted shops and gas stations and damaged dozens of vehicles.[3] In response, the Army deployed troops to the city and firefighters attended.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Pakistan Mosque Blast Kills 22". CBS News. 1 October 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "Bomb carnage at Pakistan mosque". BBC News. 2 October 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Shiites riot in Pakistani city after mosque attack". NBC News. 1 October 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d "25 killed in Sialkot mosque blast: Army called out after violence". Dawn. 2 October 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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