Sehwan suicide bomber was not female: CTD official Raja Umar Khattab
The long hair found at the blast site most likely belonged to a dervish at the shrine: Khattab
February 17, 2017
SEHWAN: Senior Counter-terrorism department (CTD) official Raja Umar Khattab dispelled initial reports that the suicide bomber was a female.
Speaking to Geo News at Sehwan, he said that evidence suggested that the suicide bomber was male. The long hair found at the blast site, he added, most likely belonged to one of the dervish at the shrine.
He said that not much explosives were used in the suicide jacket, and the deaths and injuries were caused due to the ball bearings present in the jacket.
On Thursday night, while a Dhamal was underway at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine, a suicide attack killed 80 people and injured over 30.
Earlier, Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Hyderabad Khadim Hussain Rind said more than 300 people were injured in the explosion, the latest in a series of terrorist attacks in the country, he further informed that the suicide blast occurred at the main gate of the shrine by a bomber who covered himself with a Burka.
Officials confirmed the suicide bombing took place inside the complex of the shrine, with eyewitnesses saying the explosion caused people to panic and triggered a stampede inside the crowded shrine.
An initial investigation report by bomb disposal squad confirmed that the incident was due to suicide bombing with the explosives of at least eight kilograms. Nut-bolts were used in the bomb along with the dynamite.
