Karachi: Pakistani police on Friday foiled a major terror bid to bomb a Shi’ite mosque inside a hospital compound here by defusing 20 kilogrammes of explosives fitted with two detonators.
"The explosive device hidden in a cement block weighed around 15 to 20 kilograms and could have caused great damage and casualties," Karachi police chief Iqbal Mehmood told reporters at the site of the planned terror attack.
"It was a clear attempt to explode the bomb during the time of Friday prayers in the Imambargah to create sectarian strife in the city and the effects would have been devastating," Mehmood said.
The explosive device planted inside the praying area of the state-owned Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre was discovered after citizens noticed two men riding a motorcycle leaving a mysterious bag near the wall of the Imambargah.
JPMC is Karachi`s biggest government-run hospital in the city.
"These alert citizens informed the police and hospital administration immediately and their timely action saved a lot of lives," he said.
The bomb disposal squad reached the spot and found the explosive device inside the cement block with at least two remote detonators attached to it. The squad defused the device having ball-bearings, iron plates and detonators.
Karachi and other parts of the country have seen regular attacks on the religious places of the Shi’ites and other minorities causing great damage and leading to violence.
Banned militant outfits like Tehreek-e-Taliban, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Laskhar?e-Jhangvi openly profuse against Shi’ites and other minorities calling them `Kafirs` or non-believers.
Mehmood said the police had started a check of all religious places of Shi’ites and other minorities in the city to ensure there is no terrorism act.
PTI
