Deadly Car Bombing at Islamabad Court Complex Kills 12 and Injures 27 Amid Rising Regional Tensions

A powerful car bomb explosion occurred outside a judicial complex in Islamabad, Pakistan today, resulting in 12 fatalities and 27 injuries. Local media sources reported the incident as a suicide attack.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that the suicide bombing took place at 12:39 pm local time. According to Naqvi, the perpetrator initially attempted to enter the court building on foot but instead detonated the explosive device outside the facility near a police vehicle after waiting approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Footage from the scene depicted individuals in black coats and white shirts, presumably attorneys, sitting on the road in apparent shock with visible bloodstains on their clothing.

Pakistani officials confirmed it was a car bomb explosion that could be heard from kilometers away. The blast caused significant damage to multiple vehicles in the vicinity of the court. The attack occurred during a time when the area was typically crowded with hundreds of visitors attending court proceedings.

No organization has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan has been struggling with militant violence across the country and a resurgent Pakistani Taliban movement.

On Tuesday, Pakistani security forces reported they had successfully prevented militants from taking cadets hostage at an army-run college, when a suicide car bomber and five other Pakistani Taliban members targeted the facility in a northwestern province.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated in recent months. Kabul accused Islamabad of conducting drone strikes on October 9 that caused several casualties in the Afghan capital and threatened retaliation. The subsequent cross-border conflict resulted in dozens of casualties among soldiers, civilians, and militants before Qatar facilitated a ceasefire on October 19, which currently remains in effect.