Suicide bombing kills 12 in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (BBC/AFP): A suicide attack outside a court in Pakistan's capital Islamabad has killed 12 people and injured at least 27 more, the country's interior minister said.

Mohsin Naqvi said a bomber was planning to attack the district courthouse but was unable to get inside. He said authorities would prioritise identifying the bomber, and that those involved would be brought to justice.

Suicide blasts in Islamabad have been rare in recent years. Footage from the scene on Tuesday showed the remains of a burnt out car and a police cordon in place.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Taliban claimed a suicide bombing that killed at least 12 people in Islamabad on Tuesday, a rare attack by the militant group on the country's capital.

The first such attack to hit the city in years sent people fleeing in panic, leaving shattered glass and charred vehicles on the road outside district court buildings.

"Judges, lawyers and officials who carried out rulings under Pakistan's un-Islamic laws were targeted," the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) said, threatening more attacks until Islamic law is implemented in the Muslim-majority country.

The 27 people injured are receiving medical treatment, Naqvi said. He added that the attacker detonated the bomb close to a police car after waiting for up to 15 minutes.

Footage of the aftermath showed plumes of smoke rising from a charred vehicle behind a security barrier. The incident occurred at 12:39 local time (07:39 GMT).

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said he "strongly condemned the suicide blast". A lawyer who said he was parking his car outside the court at the time described hearing a "loud bang".

Rustam Malik told AFP news agency "it was complete chaos". "Lawyers and people were running inside the complex," he added. "I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars were on fire."

No-one has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack.