Screengrab of the damaged vehicle after the attack
Police on Friday said five Japanese nationals escaped unscathed a suicide attack targeting their vehicle in Karachi, adding the two terrorists involved in the attack were killed.
Speaking with local media, police officials said the foreigners were shifted to an undisclosed location, adding preliminary investigations indicated the attackers were on foot. They said police had recovered six hand grenades, an SMG, and three magazines from the militants.
“The attackers also had two bottles of petrol. All the items were in a bag with the attackers,” said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) East Azfar Mahesar, adding a security guard traveling with the foreigners was injured and shifted to hospital for treatment. Jinnah Hospital officials told Geo News they received three injured—two security guards and one passerby—adding two of the victims were critically injured. However, they clarified, none of the injured were foreign nationals. In the afternoon, the hospital announced one of the critically injured persons, a security guard, had passed away, while two other injured were still under treatment.
Occurring around 6:45 a.m. in the morning, police said the militants opened fire on the vehicle with the foreigners, initiating the attack. Subsequently, a separate vehicle with security guards traveling alongside the foreigners retaliated. As the clash commenced, one of the terrorists detonated explosives, while the other exchanged gunfire with the guards.
“One terrorist was killed in firing by security guards, while the other terrorist approached the van and blew himself up,” said the police official, adding efforts were underway to identify the slain terrorist.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack thus far, but terrorists of the Baloch Liberation Army and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have previously targeted foreigners working in Pakistan.
Following the attack, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed police to submit a report on the investigation into the attack, adding this should include details on who the terrorists were, where they came from, any information on their facilitators and details of explosives used in the blast. He also sought immediate arrangements for the security of foreign nationals.
“Anti-national elements want to disrupt law and order, which will not be allowed at any cost,” he said in a statement, praising the timely action of police.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also condemned the suicide attack and sought a report on it. “Terrorism will not be tolerated in the city under any circumstances,” he said and directed law enforcement officials to trace the motives behind the incident.