A suspected suicide bomber killed at least 13 people and wounded dozens more in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday.
A suspected suicide bomber killed at least 13 people and wounded dozens more in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday.
The blast, outside the Punjab regional assembly building, targeted a rally by chemists and pharmaceutical manufacturers. They had been protesting against a new government law.
Some reports put the death toll nearer 20, with at least six police, including two senior officers, said to be among those killed.
DIG Traffic Lahore Ahmad Mobin killed in the #Lahore bomb explosion https://t.co/rZZDZ4R0wIpic.twitter.com/vxrOAuM1tw
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) 13 février 2017
Counter-terrorism officials had warned about a possible terrorist attack in Lahore, according to Pakistani media reports.
Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, said it was behind the attack, declaring the start of a new campaign.
The same group also claimed responsibility for a bombing at a public park in Lahore last March targeting Christians celebrating Easter. That attack killed more than 70 people.
