Minutes before the blast that has now killed at least 31 people, worshipers were gathering for Friday prayers at a Shiite imambargah in Islamabad when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the mosque’s entrance.
Pakistani paramilitary soldiers control crowds near the site of a bomb blast at a Shia mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed))Police sources said the attacker was stopped by security guards at the Imambargah’s main gate but managed to detonate himself after getting at least 20 meters inside, AFP reported.
However, eyewitnesses said that when the terrorist was stopped at the main entrance of the religious place, the terrorists started firing.
“He then ran at least 20 meters inside and blew himself up while praying,” Geo News quoted witnesses as saying.
The blast happened shortly after the start of prayers, a time when mosques are usually crowded.
The death toll is expected to rise, with more than 130 people injured.
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Witnesses and security officials said the attacker opened fire first when guards intervened, injuring security personnel, before running further into the square and detonating about 20 meters from the gate.
The rescuers and the injured discussed what actually happened before the explosion.
Hussain Shah said that he was praying in the mosque premises when suddenly there was a loud explosion. “I immediately thought there was a major attack,” he said, according to an Associated Press report.
He said he then entered the mosque to a scene of chaos, with many of the injured screaming for help. Shah said he counted around 30 bodies inside the mosque, while the number of injured appeared to be significantly higher.
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What happened after the explosion?The force of the blast shattered the windows of the three-storey Imambargah and nearby residential buildings.
Adults and children were taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on stretchers and in private vehicles, many with blood-soaked clothes. At least one injured person arrived in the boot of a car. Friends and relatives of the injured were seen screaming and crying outside the heavily guarded emergency ward.
After the blast, law enforcement agencies including the Pakistan Army and Rangers cordoned off the area as rescue operations began.
Hospitals in the capital were overwhelmed, prompting authorities to transfer some injured patients to medical facilities in Rawalpindi.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said a state of emergency has been declared at PIMS, Polyclinic Hospital and Capital Development Authority Hospital.
