Counterterrorism Blog

Over twenty people got killed and around 30 people have been injured when a powerful bomb explosion (suicide blast) took place inside a hotel in Peshawar, provincial capital of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas(FATA). The blast damaged a major portion of the Hotel Marhaba, the epicenter of the blast, located in crowded Naz Cinema Road and near Mahabat Khan Mosque. The hotel has been, according to reports, frequented by many tribal visitors from neighboring Afghanistan. Peshawar police chief Abdul Majeed Marwat reportedly said to media people that the toll could rise as many of the wounded were in a critical condition.

No one has claimed responsibility so far. The confirmed suicide blast (May 15, 12:45 p.m. local time) will certainly deepen the political crisis that Pakistan has been experiencing currently. As per the latest report, investigators have found the legs of the suspected suicide bomber with a message taped to one leg that said spies for America would meet this fate. Also below the message, the word "Khurasan" was written (a Persian word for a region located in north eastern Iran, i.e. Afghanistan).

The Incident in the Media

Agence France-Presse: "Twenty-four people were killed and 25 injured," said Malik Zafar Azam, the law minister for North West Frontier Province, of which Peshawar is the capital. He said the blast was thought to be linked to a suicide attack at nearby Charsadda on April 28."

Reuters: "My information is 24 people lost their lives in the blast and 25 to 30 were wounded," Asif Iqbal Daudzai, NWFP's information minister. "

BBC: "The blast happened at lunchtime when the hotel was crowded with diners, provincial police chief Sharif Virk said."

Associated Press: "Saeed Khan, a police officer, said that the bomb killed 24 people and wounded 25. The dead included two women and a 5-year-old boy who were having lunch, Khan said".