Four suspects arrested in mosque bombing that killed 31 in Islamabad, minister says

Описание: (7 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Islamabad Pakistan - 7 February,2026
1. Pakistan's Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, walking to podium to brief media
2. Reporters
3. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan Interior Minister:
“Immediately after the blast, raids were conducted in Peshawar and Nowshera, and four facilitators were arrested. The most important development was the arrest of the mastermind, an Afghan national from Afghanistan.”
4. Reporters
5. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan Interior Minister:
“The main mastermind is from Afghanistan and is now in our custody. The planning and training involved in this entire incident was carried out in Afghanistan. We have individuals in custody who are providing us with all the details.”
6. End of briefing
STORYLINE:
Pakistani security forces raided multiple locations and arrested four suspects, including the alleged "mastermind" behind a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of the capital that killed 31 people, the interior minister said Saturday.

The announcement by Mohsin Naqvi came a day after a regional affiliate of the Islamic State group, identifying itself as Islamic State in Pakistan, claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Amaq News Agency.

The statement said the attacker on Friday opened fire on security guards who tried to stop him at the main gate before detonating his explosive vest after reaching the mosque’s inner gate.

The IS group suggested it viewed the Pakistani Shiites as legitimate targets, calling them a “human reservoir” that provided recruits to Shiite militias fighting IS in Syria.

Friday’s mosque bombing that also wounded 169 people was the deadliest in Islamabad since a 2008 suicide bombing at the Marriott Hotel that killed 63 people and wounded more than 250.

In November, a suicide bomber struck outside a court in the capital, killing 12 people.

AP video shot by: Muhammad Yousaf

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