A group of armed men, including two suicide bombers, stormed a court complex in Islamabad on Monday, killing 11 people and wounding dozens in a rare terror attack in the heart of the Pakistani capital. The assault came just days after the Pakistani Taliban announced a one-month ceasefire, raising questions about the group's ability to control its factions.
Witnesses described attackers wielding automatic weapons and hurling grenades as they ran through the narrow alleyways of the complex, firing indiscriminately at lawyers, judges and court personnel. One lawyer called it a scene from hell, with blasts and firing all around. 'My colleague was shot, and there was no one to help him. When I reached him, he was bleeding and crying for help,' said Momin Ali.
Islamabad Police Chief Sikander Hayat said initial reports indicated two men wearing explosive vests entered the complex, threw grenades and opened fire before detonating their vests. He confirmed the death toll at 11 and described the incident as an act of terrorism. One attacker blew himself up outside the lawyers' union president's office, the other outside a judge's office.
However, other officials and a lawyer on the scene said there were more than two attackers. Police official Jamil Hashmi reported six to eight attackers who spread into different areas. 'One of the attackers entered a courtroom and shot and killed a judge,' Hashmi said. Lawyer Murad Ali said he saw several attackers brandishing weapons and shooting a female lawyer.
The dead included two judges and five lawyers, according to Dr Altaf at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. Most victims had bullet wounds. Twenty-five people were wounded, five critically. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
