Moazzam Jah Ansari, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, announced on Thursday that the terrorist responsible for the suicide bombing at the Peshawar Mosque had been identified using CCTV footage.
The IGP stated that the assailant was dressed in a police uniform and was riding a motorcycle with a helmet and mask on. He added that the motorcycle’s engine and chassis number were fake.
Ansari told how the attacker arrived at the police lines and asked a constable where the mosque was after pretending to park the car to the side.
He said that the suicide bomber’s head, which was discovered at the scene, matched the individual identified on the CCTV footage.
The IGP added that the attacker was supported by a large network rather than a single person. He stated that the police were close to the terrorist network responsible for the bombing.
IGP Ansari pleaded with people to refrain from spreading rumors about the blast since doing so would only make the deceased’s suffering worse. He stated that there was no “crater” at the bomb site and that rumors of a drone attack were false.
He added that no identity card belonging to the attacker was discovered at the scene. According to the bomb disposal unit’s report, the blast was indeed a suicide bombing.
According to Ansari, TNT explosives, as well as other explosive substances intended to destroy structures, were reportedly employed in the blast.
He said that although the blast claimed the lives of five to ten people, the majority of fatalities were brought on by the fall of the 2,500-foot roof. There were no pillars in the hall, he said.
“The mosque was built 50 years ago while the mosque room was completely closed and was an old hall,” he said.
Referring to the police protests held in Peshawar on Wednesday, Ansari said that “a new storm was created before the province even finished with the burials of the deceased”.
According to the IGP, police youths are ready to take revenge and were incited to protest against the bombing.
In Peshawar’s Police Lines, a suicide bomber exploded himself on Monday during the afternoon prayers, killing at least 100 people, many of them were police officers.
Officials affirmed that the attack was a suicide bombing and that the bomber was in the first row when the explosion occurred. According to Muhammad Ijaz Khan, a Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), the bomber set up his device as hundreds of people were lining up for prayers.
