By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
At least three people were killed and seven others were injured in a bomb blast outside a Shia mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad Wednesday, medical sources and local media said.
A spokesperson for the Pakistan Institute for Medical sciences, Dr. Ayesha Majeed, confirmed the toll.
Local television channels said that the blast could be the result of a suicide bombing, however, police said they were still investigating the nature of the explosion. There were dozens of worshippers inside the mosque at the time of the incident. Local television reports said that there was an exchange of fire between guards and an attacker before the blast.
The mosque is said to be located on the edge of two cities, the capital Islamabad city and the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
This is the third consecutive attack on Shia mosques, locally known as Imambargahs, in Sunni-majority Pakistan in less than three weeks.
Around 98 people were killed in two previous suicide attacks in southern Shikarpur city and northwestern Peshawar districts on Jan. 30, and Feb. 17, respectively.
