Iranian Consulate in Peshawar Attacked by Central Asian Terrorist
TEHRAN (FNA)- Investigation results released by Pakistani police on the recent terrorist attack near the Iranian Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, said the suicide bomber was from a Central Asian country.
A blast near the Iranian consulate on University Road in Peshawar killed two security guards and left 10 others injured on Monday. The consulate is situated in a residential area and has schools in its vicinity as well.
Police investigation revealed on Tuesday that the perpetrator of the attack was either an Uzbek or a Chechen national.
The suicide bomber intended to destroy the Iranian Consulate building, but due to a technical failure in his car and malfunction of the bomb he had planted in his car, he failed to achieve his goal.
Meantime, two other accomplices of the suicide bomber who were also inside the bomb-laden car tried to enter the consulate building, but were stopped by the security guards and one of them exploded himself near the entrance gate.
The vests used by the suicide bombers usually contain 8 kilogram of explosives, but the bomber was wearing a suicide vest with 4 kilograms of explosives planted in it.
The Peshawar police also confirmed earlier reports that a militant group commanded by a person named Mast Gul has claimed responsibility for the Monday attack.
Mast Gul, 47, is known for his clashes with Indian forces and fled to a region in Kashmir in 1995.
A spokesman for Mast Gul, once acclaimed in Pakistan for his role fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, claimed responsibility on Monday. The group is affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, who are fighting to topple the government.
"We sent a suicide bomber to target the Iranian consulate and Iranians inside the building," the spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying on Monday.
"They unfortunately remained safe.
"We will continue to target Iranian installations and the Shiite community everywhere," he added.
He escaped an ambush by the Pakistani forces in Peshawar in 2003 and is hiding since then.
A few hours later yesterday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham strongly condemned the Monday terrorist attack in front of Tehran’s consulate.
“Following the occurrence of this terrorist act Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a telephone conversation with Iran’s consul-general in Peshawar was assured about the health conditions of our consulate colleagues and he was also briefed about the damage inflicted on the consulate building, and he also stated some necessary recommendations,” Afkham said.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman condemned the terrorist actions and resort to violence in the region, specially against diplomatic center, and called for closer cooperation among all countries in their campaign against violence and extremism as well as confronting plots against religions.
