ISLAMABAD: Authorities have identified the suicide bomber who killed 31 worshippers and injured 169 at a mosque on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital, said a government official on Friday, adding the attacker received training in neighboring Afghanistan.
The explosion occurred in the Tarlai area around the time of Friday prayers, with the Islamabad district administration sharing the number of fatalities in a statement.
The blast came amid a renewed surge in militant violence in Pakistan and followed a suicide bombing outside a district court complex in Islamabad in November last year that killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens, underscoring growing security concerns even in heavily guarded urban centers.
“The identity of the suicide bomber has been confirmed,” said a senior government official on condition of anonymity. “Verified information indicates that the suicide bomber received training for terrorist activities in Afghanistan.”
“The suicide bomber had traveled to Afghanistan multiple times and had returned recently,” he added.
The official reiterated Pakistan’s stance on recent militant attacks, saying various armed groups were based in Afghanistan and posed a serious threat to regional security under the patronage of the Afghan Taliban regime.
“Every terrorist incident in Pakistan has a nexus involving Afghanistan and India,” he continued.
People comfort a man, center, mourning over the death of his relative, close to the site of a bomb explosion at a Shiite mosque, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 6, 2026. (AP)
Islamabad has long accused Kabul of allowing its soil to be used by militant groups and New Delhi of backing their cross-border attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces. However, the Afghan and Indian governments have consistently denied the allegations.
Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry visited the site of the blast confirmed the same information.
“The terrorist carried out a suicide bombing,” he said during a media interaction outside the mosque. “Information about him has been obtained: he is not an Afghan citizen, but details about how many times he traveled to Afghanistan have been established.”
Rescue workers and volunteers remove a body from the site of a bomb explosion at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 6, 2026. (AP)
Earlier, emergency measures were imposed at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Polyclinic Hospital and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Hospital after the incident, with assistant commissioners deployed at medical facilities to oversee the treatment of the wounded.
“The site of the blast has been completely sealed,” the district administration said in its statement.
Islamabad police spokesperson Taqi Jawad said the explosion occurred at an imambargah, a place of worship for the Shi’ite Muslim community.
Security personnel stand guard outside a Shiite mosque following an explosion in Islamabad, Pakistan, on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Islamabad has historically been less affected by militant attacks than Pakistan’s northwestern and southwestern regions, but the scale of Friday’s casualties has intensified fears about the capital’s vulnerability as the country grapples with a broader nationwide resurgence of militancy.
