Pakistani Forces Arrest Four After Islamabad Mosque Suicide Bombing

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Saturday that Pakistani security forces raided multiple locations and arrested four suspects, including an alleged mastermind, in connection with a suicide bombing that killed 31 worshippers and wounded 169 at the Khadija al-Kubra mosque in Islamabad on Friday.

An affiliate of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement carried by Amaq, and records show the blast was the deadliest in Islamabad since the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing, officials said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and Shehbaz Sharif ordered a full investigation while hospitals issued urgent calls for blood donations, officials said.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi alleged the suspected mastermind was Afghan and said the bomber trained in Afghanistan with alleged financial backing from India, claims for which he provided no immediate evidence and which Kabul and New Delhi did not immediately comment on, officials said.

Authorities said investigations and security raids would continue, funerals for dozens of victims were underway and international governments had condemned the attack as Pakistani officials vowed to bring perpetrators to justice, officials said.