Saturday nights blast at the Luna Caprese restaurant in the centre of Islamabad is the first attack on foreigners since 2002, suggesting a new trend of attack, said a top security official.
Islamabad, Mar 16 : Saturday night's blast at the Luna Caprese restaurant in the centre of Islamabad is the first attack on foreigners since 2002, suggesting a new trend of attack, said a top security official.
"This restaurant carries the repute that foreigners come here because hard drinks are served with food. The fact that militants chose to strike the place on a weekend night shows that they had done their homework," a news agency quoted the senior security official, as saying.
Islamabad police chief, Shahid Nadeem Baluch, said an improvised explosive device was used in the attack.
"We have not yet determined if it was thrown from outside or planted," he said.
Baluch, however, would not say if the foreigners were the intended target.
The senior security official said five to six kilograms of explosives with pellets and ball bearings were used in the blasts, a trademark of pro-Taliban militants.
The attack is expected to put pressure on Pakistan's new government.
The bomb exploded at around 8:40 p.m. Pakistan time in the backyard lawn of the "Luna Caprese" restaurant located in Sector F-7 in front of Super Market, Islamabad where approximately twenty-five persons were dining, mostly foreigners.
A Turkish nurse identified as Ellane was killed in the alonwith 10 others. Ellane was an employ of the US Embassy. Seven Americans, a Canadian, a Somalian, a Japanese and two Pakistanis were injured in the incident.
ANI