Terrorism-related Incidents in Islamabad - 2008

Date

Incident

January 18

11 suicide bombers have entered Rawalpindi and Islamabad to hit their targets during the month of Muharram, intelligence agencies have claimed.

June 2

A suspected suicide bomber blew up his car outside the Danish embassy in Islamabad, killing at least eight persons and injuring 30 others. The Danish Foreign minister said a Pakistani cleaner employed at the embassy and a Danish citizen of Pakistani origin had died and three other local employees were hurt, but the embassy’s four Danish staffers were unharmed. There was no claim of responsibility for the blast, but officials said it was likely linked to anger over blasphemous caricatures, which were recently reprinted by Danish newspapers.

June 6

Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior, Rehman Malik, claimed that at least six people, including three would-be suicide bombers, had been arrested in Islamabad. He said that preliminary interrogations had been completed, APP reported.

June 7

Six persons were arrested for a terror plot that was foiled when authorities seized three vehicles carrying more than 2,200 pounds of explosives near Islamabad. Crime Investigation Agency chief Rana Muhammad Shahid said the arrested persons were all Pakistani nationals and their targets included President Pervez Musharraf’s Camp Office in Rawalpindi.

July 6

20 persons, including 15 policemen, were killed and more than 40 persons sustained injuries in a suicide attack near the Melody Market area of Islamabad. The suicide bomber targeted policemen deployed at a rally observing the first year anniversary of an army raid on the Lal Masjid (Red mosque) in Islamabad.

August 21

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at the gates of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) in the high security cantonment town of Wah, around 30 kilometers from capital Islamabad, killing at least 70 persons. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. The POF at Wah is a cluster of about 20 industrial units producing artillery, tank and anti-aircraft ammunition for the Pakistani armed forces. It employs around 25,000 to 30,000 workers.

August 26

Eight persons were killed and more than 20 sustained injuries in a bomb blast at a roadside restaurant in the Model Town area on the outskirts of Islamabad. About 3.5 kilograms of explosives were used in the device planted at the eatery situated in the Hummark area, officials from the Bomb Disposal Squad told Geo News.

September 3

Unidentified gunmen fired shots at Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s motorcade in a high security zone on the Islamabad Highway. Rawalpindi City Police Officer Rao Muhammad Iqbal said the motorcade was on its way to the airport to pick the prime minister. A statement by the Prime Minister’s House said two of a number of sniper shots fired on the prime minister’s vehicle hit the window on the driver’s side. "However, because of the robust and comprehensive security measures, the prime minister and all the members of his motorcade remained unharmed," it added.

September 20

A suicide bomber detonated a truck packed with explosives at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, killing at least 60 people. At least 200 people, including a Pakistan Peoples Party legislator, were injured in the explosion, which ruptured a gas pipeline and triggered a huge blaze.

October 9

A suspected suicide car bombing destroyed part of an Anti-Terror Squad building and wounded at least six policemen in the heavily guarded Police Lines area in Islamabad. Security officials found a letter from the TTP at the explosion site, signed by its commander Waliur Rehman on a Jaish-e-Islami letter pad. Written in Pashto language, the letter seeks permission from an undisclosed authority to launch an attack on the Anti-Terror Squad saying the plan of action had been finalised.

October 9

Police at Islamabad airport detained a bearded man wearing a burqa (veil), who was apparently a suicide attacker trying to board a plane when a female security official notified the Airport Security Force.

November 19

Motorcycle borne gunmen shot dead a retired major general of the Pakistan Army and his driver in the outskirts of national capital Islamabad. Major General Ameer Faisal Alvi from the Special Services Group (SSG) had retired more than two years ago.

December 12

Islamabad Police sealed three offices of the JuD. One was near Masjid Quba in the I-8 Markaz and another in Street 35 in G-6/4, Chief Commissioner Kamran Lashari said. However, no arrests were made. Officials said the group had abandoned its G-6 office before the Police raid. Later in the day, Police sealed another office located on Korri Road near Shahzad Town, and arrested six suspected operatives.

December 21

A large quantity of arms seized by the SFs during the military operation at Lal Masjid in Islamabad and stored in the Aabpara Police station’s heavily guarded armoury, is missing and was reported as ‘stolen’. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik has reportedly suspended the Senior Superintendent of Police Ahmad Latif and Superintendent of Police Shahzad Asif and ordered registration of a case against Inspector Naeem Iqbal and 14 other Police personnel on charges of criminal breach of trust, theft and burglary. All the accused have been suspended and arrested. The arms included assault rifles, rocket launchers, anti-tank mines, grenades and a large quantity of bullets, which were seized by the SFs during the Lal Masjid operation which ended on July 11, 2008. According to Police, the stolen arms include 47 small machine-guns, three light machine-guns, several AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers and hand grenades, seven rockets and 2,800 bullets.

December 25

Security agencies foiled a plot to cause widespread destruction in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and recovered a huge quantity of explosive material with numerous detonating devices from a terrorist hideout in Karal near Islamabad. However, Police failed to arrest the three miscreants who managed to escape during the raid. Later, the Police detained 10 people for interrogation and registered a case under the Explosives Act. The explosive material was stored in a house in Karal, a small village on the outskirts of the federal capital within the jurisdiction of the Islamabad Capital Territory. The Islamabad Police and intelligence agencies officials believe that the explosive material and detonators were meant to target various commercial centres and residential areas in the federal capital. According to Police sources, over 650 kilograms of explosive material, including 520 detonating devices (12 packs of two different kinds), 357 bricks of the Aemolite explosives, 20 bags of gun powder and three bags of sulphur powder, were recovered. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police (East Zone), Saqib Sultan, who addressed a press conference at the Karal Police station, said that the masterminds who escaped were identified as Bacha Saeed Khan, Farid Khan and Musa Khan.