A yet-to-be identified suicide bomber on Sunday attacked a church packed with worshippers during Sunday service in Pakistan, leaving seven people dead and more than 20 others injured. According to statement issued by Police authorities, two of the attackers had targeted the Methodist Church in Quetta but only one of the bombers succeeded in detonating his vest in the church.
The statement which was issued by Sarfaraz Bugti, the Interior Minister of Balochistan province disclosed that the second bomber was shot dead by a church security guard before he detonated the vest. He also tweeted using his handle @PakSarfrazbugti that it took authorities 16 minutes to complete the operation. His tweet read;
"By the grace of Almighty, 02 Suicide Bombers stopped on entrance of Church in #Quetta. LEAs took 16 mins to complete the op. CCPO & DC #Quetta along with IG Police #Balochistan lead the operation from forefront." It was reported that over 400 worshippers were in the church when the incident took place.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Office has condemned the attack, tweeting that the nation's "resolve against terrorism cannot be deterred by these cowardly acts."
According to CNN, Christians make up 2% of Pakistan's population, and face persecution from hard-line Islamists, who want to see a strict interpretation of Islamic law take precedence in the legal system. The report said previous attacks on Christians include a suicide attack in Lahore that killed at least 14 people in March 2015, and suicide attacks on a church in Peshawar in 2013 that killed more than 80 people.
Quetta is the largest city and provincial capital of Balochistan province.
