Pakistan Claims Afghan National Masterminded Deadly Islamabad Mosque Attack

Pakistani authorities announced the arrest of four individuals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in connection with a deadly bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that the main planner of the attack is an Afghan citizen who was detained during a police operation around 3 a.m., during which one Pakistani security personnel was killed.

Naqvi said the Afghan suspect is linked to ISIS, which claimed responsibility for Friday's attack that killed at least 31 people and wounded 171 others. The attacker first opened fire before detonating explosives at the mosque, referred to as Khadija Kubra in one report and Imambargah in the Talaari area in another. The arrests occurred in separate intelligence operations in Noshera and Peshawar, according to a security official speaking to Reuters and reports citing GeoNews.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the attack's planning and training were carried out by ISIS in Afghanistan. Naqvi alleged that 21 terrorist groups, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and ISIS, operate from Afghanistan, receiving increased funding from $500 to $1,500 per operative, which he attributed to India. Pakistani security sources claimed terror groups supported by the Afghan Taliban pose a serious threat to regional peace.

The Afghan Taliban has condemned the attack as contrary to Islamic and human values, rejecting similar past accusations by Pakistani officials.