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At least 12 people were killed and 27 others were wounded after a suicide bomber struck outside the gates of a district court in Islamabad Tuesday (November 11), Pakistan's interior minister announced via the Associated Press.
Witnesses said the incident resulted in mayhem in the streets after a blast capable of being heard from miles away occurred at a busy time in which hundreds of visitors typically attend court hearings. The Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Taliban, publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the Associated Press.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar had previously staged smaller attacks during recent years but had been unsuccessful in efforts to hit Pakistan's capital. The latest attack is expected to further compound struggles for the government as it faces a resurgent Taliban, as well as border tensions and a ceasefire with Afghanistan that the Associated Press described as "fragile."
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the attacker attempted to “enter the court premises but, failing to do so, targeted a police vehicle.” Pakistani state-run media and two security officials had previously claimed that a car bomb was responsible for the explosion.
Naqvi said that the incident was "carried out by Indian-backed elements and Afghan Taliban proxies,” however, authorities are still "looking into all aspect" in relation to the explosion.