2003 Quetta mosque bombing

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2003 Quetta mosque bombing
Pakistan - Balochistan - Quetta.svg
Map of Quetta
Location Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Date4 July 2003 (2003-07-04) (Pakistan Standard Time)
Attack type
Suicide bombing, mass shooting, grenade attack
WeaponsHand grenades, explosive belt, guns
Deaths53
Injuredat least 65
Perpetrators Lashkar-e-Jhangvi

On 4 July 2003, 53 Hazara Shias were killed and at least 65 others were injured when the mosque was attacked during the Friday prayer in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. [1] [2] When hundreds of worshipers were offering Friday prayer, three armed men entered the Asna Ashari Hazara Imambargah and started shooting, threw hand grenades and one suicide bomber blew himself up - which left 53 dead and tens of others injured. [1] [2] It was second major sectarian attack on Quetta's Hazaras after the massacre of police cadets.[ when? ] It was the start of the series of killings of Hazaras in Quetta.

Contents

Bombing

On 4 July 2003, hundreds of worshippers were practicing Friday prayer in Asna Ashri Hazara Imambargah Kalan mosque. Five men armed with automatic weapons [3] entered the mosque and fired on worshippers for ten continuous minutes and tried to throw a grenade, but it exploded in his hand. Worshippers disarmed one of the attackers and killed a third one. The other two attackers ran away from the roof. This attack left more 65 dead and tens of others injured. [4]

Perpetrators

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a banned terrorist group, was responsible for the attack on the mosque. After investigations, intelligence agencies found a video compact disc in which two people are shown who claimed their people attacked the mosque and they were going to meet them in paradise. [5]

Response

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "19 arrested after attack on mosque". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2003.
  2. 1 2 AFP, Quetta (5 July 2003). "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 4 Num 39". Thedailystar.net. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  3. "Sectarian Terror In Quetta" . Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  4. McGirk, Tim (7 July 2003). "A Prayer Before Dying". Time. ISSN   0040-781X . Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  5. "Daily Times". Daily Times. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Sectarian Terror in Quetta".
  7. "Pakistan: Tension over sectarian bombing - TIME". 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2021.