Undeniable similarities between Mosque and APS attacks

Twenty hours after the Director General Inter Services Public Relations' (ISPR) press briefing regarding details of the Army Public School investigation, the same group stuck again, in the same unfortunate city of Peshawar.

The Pakistani Taliban’s central group headed by Mullah Fazlullah claimed the responsibility in a video message. In a 4 minute and 12 second long video the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, Umar Mansoor – flanked by the three suicide-bombers – claimed the Imamia Mosque attack.

According to details, the three suicide bombers entered the mosque from the back as worshipers were offering Asar prayers.

Initially the attackers threw hand-grenades followed by an AK-47 assault. In the mean time few private guards stationed at the mosque retaliated, but two suicide bombers managed to sneak into the main hall of the mosque and blew themselves up; while one suicide-bomber was shot dead by private guards in the courtyard of the mosque.

The similarities between the Imamia Mosque attack and Army Public School [APS] carnage are undeniable. Last year on December 16, terrorists stormed the Army Public School (APS) and brutally massacred 145 people including 132 school children.

Speaking to Geo News, Assistant Inspector General of KP police and the head of the provincial Bomb Disposal Unit, Shafqat Malik said, “we have found same signature in both the attacks” and “the modus operandi of the attack is similar to APS”.

Undeniable similarities

The terrorists who attacked the mosque on Friday set their vehicle ablaze similar to the APS assault. On December 16, attackers had reached the school in a van and destroyed it by setting it alight before entering the school premises.

In the APS assault, the terrorists used Russian made hand grenades and the same type of grenades were recovered from the Imamia Mosque, Hayatabad.

In both the attacks, the terrorists used a dual-trigger mechanism for their bombs, Malik confirmed to Geo News. “Police has found the heads and limbs of both the suicide bombers while one of the terrorists was shot by the guards of the mosque”, he added.


Syed Arfeen is an investigative journalist with Geo News and tweets: @arfeensyyed