MULTAN: Pakistan’s counter-terrorism police on Tuesday said they foiled a possible militant attack by killing a suspected would-be suicide bomber when he tried to sneak into a police station near the eastern city of Lahore.
According to a statement released by police, the suspected militant was killed in an exchange of fire early Tuesday when he shot at guards after being asked to halt at the premises of the police station in the village of Burki.
The man was wearing an explosive vest and he had two grenades in his pockets, the statement said. Police released pictures of an explosive vest, two grenades and a pistol, saying the suspect was carrying them.
Police provided no further details and said a search operation was underway in the area.
Security forces in Pakistan are often targeted by militants who want the government to end its support to Washington in its war on terror and enforce Islamic laws in the country. In October 2009, militants attacked a police training facility in another village near Lahore, killing more than 30 people.
The latest development comes a day after Pakistan’s military said troops killed two militants during a raid on a militant hideout in a former tribal area of Bajur near Afghanistan. In a statement, the military said the suspects were involved in “terrorist activities in various areas of Pakistan” and were working for neighboring Indian intelligence, a charge New Delhi often denies.