There was an explosion in a Pakistani mosque – the number of victims has already risen to around 60, more than 150 injured

The police suspect that a suicide bomber was behind the attack and that his target was the authorities.

A devastating explosion occurred at a mosque in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar during prayers on Monday. The police suspect that a suicide bomber is behind the explosion.

Information about the number of dead has varied, but according to the latest news agency information, there would be 59 deaths. The information is based on a hospital source.

In addition, up to 170 people have been injured. Some are said to be in critical condition.

According to local media, the roof of the building collapsed due to the force of the explosion and several people were trapped in the ruins. According to the authorities, the number of victims may still rise because of this.

The city’s main police station is located in the immediate vicinity of the mosque. Local media reports that several police officers participated in the morning prayer.

The law enforcement authority believes that, above all, the city authorities were chosen as the target of the attack.

Unclear about the author

News agency AP, Al-Jazeera (switch to another service) and a British magazine Guardian (switching to another service) initially reported that the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. At that time, the TTP commander Sarbakaf Mohmand had made a statement about it on Twitter.

Later, spokesperson for TTP Mohammad Khurasani however, according to the news agency AP, he denied the involvement of the organization and said that mosque attacks are not part of the organization’s modus operandi. According to the spokesperson, the organization punishes those who participate in such activities. Khurasani does not open, which is why the commander of the organization gave a different statement earlier.

Also in March, there was an explosion in a mosque in Peshawar. At that time, a suicide bomber of the Isis organization killed 64 people in a Shia mosque just before the moment of prayer.

Sources: AFP, Reuters, AP, Uutiset