Islamabad, February 07 (QNA) - Pakistani security personnel have apprehended four suspects following coordinated raids across multiple locations in connection with the suicide bombing that targeted a mosque on Friday near Islamabad, Pakistan's Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, announced Saturday.
Naqvi added that among those detained is the alleged mastermind of the attack. He called on the international community to pay attention to what he described as perilous consequences for regional stability, warning that the impacts could have ripple effects beyond the area.
The announcement comes a day after a regional branch of ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on Telegram, describing how the perpetrator fired at security guards attempting to stop him at the mosque's main gate before detonating his explosive vest at the inner gate.
The attack has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
Although Islamabad has experienced a relatively limited number of attacks compared to other regions of Pakistan, the nation has seen a recent surge in armed violence, much of which is attributed to militant groups.
The mosque detonation, which killed 31 people and injured 169 others, is the deadliest in Islamabad since a 2008 suicide attack on a hotel that left 63 dead and over 250 injured.
The capital also witnessed a suicide attack outside a courthouse last November, which killed 12 and wounded 27. (QNA)