Explosion shakes Karachi
At least 3 dead in blast outside U.S. restaurant
From Syed Mohsin Naqvi
CNN
Tuesday, November 15, 2005; Posted: 12:27 a.m. EST (05:27 GMT)
(CNN) -- A powerful car bomb exploded in central Karachi Tuesday outside an outlet of the U.S. restaurant chain KFC, police said, killing at least three people and wounding eight others.
"It seems to be the target was KFC, but yet we have to wait and see," said Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Pakistan's information minister. He noted the 8:45 a.m. (10:45 p.m. ET Monday) blast also occurred in front of a Pakistani Industrial Development Corporation building.
Video from the scene showed about half a dozen cars on fire and the windows of buildings blown out.
Police had sealed off the area, local media reported.
In September, two nearly simultaneous explosions went off at other fast food restaurants -- another KFC and a McDonald's in Karachi's Defense district.
The first bomb detonated inside the KFC restaurant, followed about eight minutes later by a blast outside the McDonald's on the city's beach front.
U.S. fast food outlets in Karachi have been targeted before. On May 30, a KFC restaurant was burned and six workers inside were killed during an outbreak of religious sectarian violence in the city.
Hundreds of people gathered at the site of the blast, near the Pearl Intercontinental Hotel that is popular with international tourists and businesspeople, The Associated Press reported.
Previous bombings in Pakistan have been linked to Islamic extremists opposed to Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's close ties to the United States. Pakistan has been a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.
Source: CNN
At least 3 dead in blast outside U.S. restaurant
From Syed Mohsin Naqvi
CNN
Tuesday, November 15, 2005; Posted: 12:27 a.m. EST (05:27 GMT)
(CNN) -- A powerful car bomb exploded in central Karachi Tuesday outside an outlet of the U.S. restaurant chain KFC, police said, killing at least three people and wounding eight others.
"It seems to be the target was KFC, but yet we have to wait and see," said Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Pakistan's information minister. He noted the 8:45 a.m. (10:45 p.m. ET Monday) blast also occurred in front of a Pakistani Industrial Development Corporation building.
Video from the scene showed about half a dozen cars on fire and the windows of buildings blown out.
Police had sealed off the area, local media reported.
In September, two nearly simultaneous explosions went off at other fast food restaurants -- another KFC and a McDonald's in Karachi's Defense district.
The first bomb detonated inside the KFC restaurant, followed about eight minutes later by a blast outside the McDonald's on the city's beach front.
U.S. fast food outlets in Karachi have been targeted before. On May 30, a KFC restaurant was burned and six workers inside were killed during an outbreak of religious sectarian violence in the city.
Hundreds of people gathered at the site of the blast, near the Pearl Intercontinental Hotel that is popular with international tourists and businesspeople, The Associated Press reported.
Previous bombings in Pakistan have been linked to Islamic extremists opposed to Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's close ties to the United States. Pakistan has been a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.
Source: CNN
