Peshawar mosque bomber was in police uniform, reveals KP IG

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Chief Moazzam Jah Ansari on Thursday revealed that Peshawar mosque blast attacker “was clad in police uniform” and police had found body parts of the bomber from the blast site, ARY News reported.

A powerful explosion ripped through a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Line area on Jan 30 during Zuhr prayers, killing over 100 people and injuring 400 people — mostly police officers.

Briefing media about the progress in the Peshawar blast probe, KP IG said that the suicide bomber entered the Police Lines area on a motorcycle and police have traced his movement from CCTV footage. “Peshawar blast was a suicide attack and we have traced the bomber,” he said.

“Police have obtained the CCTV footage of bombers movement while entering Police Lines on motorcycle cladding in a police uniform,” the officer revealed, adding that investigators have also found ball bearings from the blast site and police were closing in on the terror network behind the Peshawar suicide attack.

“We have found ball bearings used in a suicide jacket from underneath the rubble of the mosque,” he informed the media, and added, “10-12kgs of trinitrotoluene (TNT) was used in the attack”.

IG KP said that police had also found a piece of suicide jacket worn by the bomber. He went on to say that CCTV footage showed that attacker had worn a simple jacket with a mask on his face.

“The attacker, who was in a police uniform, had asked about location of a mosque from the constable on the Police Lines gate,” he said, adding that police have identified the attacker with the help of CCTV footage and the next step in the ongoing probe would be to arrest handlers of the bomber.

“I am not holding anyone responsible for the attack… It was my fault and I am taking responsibility for it,” said Moazzam Jah Ansari.

Talking about the status of the probe at a presser today, Ansari said that the police had found a ball bearing from the blast site.

While refuting the reports that the death toll in the blast rose to 100, he said that the actual death toll in the Peshawar blast stands at 84 and police department will release final list of deaths and injuries in a couple of days.

It is pertinent to mention here that a powerful blast triggered by a suicide attack rocked a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines during the afternoon prayers on Monday.

According to the latest figures, at least 100 people have been confirmed to have lost their lives in the attack, while almost 400 people were wounded.

Security officials said the explosion took place around 1:40pm on Monday as Zuhr prayers were being offered as a result of which the roof of the mosque caved in. The rescue operation is still underway at the mosque site to retrieve the victims.

The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the blast at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines.