22 killed and 60 injured at Pakistan mosque during suicide bomb attack

Armed militants and suicide bombers dressed as police officers and stormed a Pakistan mosque, killing 22 people and injuring 60 others.

The prayers of around 800 Muslim worshipers were cut short when a number were taken hostage during Friday prayers, in Peshawar, at the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on January 13.

The confronting footage shows Shia Muslims seeking cover while being fired at.

Moments later a suicide bomber runs into the mosque and detonates himself with an explosion that fills the room with thick grey smoke.

Gunfire continues, then another bomb blast, before police shoot back at the gunmen.

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Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Mian Saeed said at least three suicide bombers attacked the mosque, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

He confirmed one suicide bomber detonated his device, while another was shot dead. A third attacker was arrested in an injured condition.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police chief Inspector General Nasir Khan Durrani said the entrance was highly guarded and the attackers entered from the other side of the mosque.

“The attackers climbed a high wall and cut barbed wires in order to enter the Imambargah (mosque). They arrived in a car which they burnt.”

It is believed firing began from a building near the mosque. Soon after, three or four suicide bombers entered the mosque, and one blew himself up. The bomb squad later located a suicide vest at the scene.

An eyewitness said several grenades were thrown as worshippers performed the last sajda, the Pakistani Tribune newspaper reported. The witness also said it was a suicide attack.

The Pakistan region has been a target of fierce attacks between security forces and the Pakistani Taliban.

In a separate attack on Wednesday, armed militants stormed a university in north-western Pakistan, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens.