Blast in Khyber district martyrs police officer

PESHAWAR: A blast inside a mosque situated in a locality known as Ali Masjid in the Khyber district, Peshawar killed one police officer, Geo News reported on Tuesday.

Station House Officer (SHO) Gul Wali said that Additional SHO Adnan Afridi embraced martyrdom in the incident. 

According to details, one of the suspects was inside the mosque. The police personnel was martyred when he went to the mosque to deal with the suspect, however, he blew himself up. 

KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Akhtar Hayat Khan said that the suspect blew himself up during the search inside the mosque. 

According to details provided by the police, the blast took place when a suicide bomber hid inside the mosque after he saw officers of the law enforcement agency.

Moreover, SHO Wali said that further details will be provided as it is currently unknown how many people are trapped under the debris of the mosque as it had collapsed during the blast. 

However, the eyewitnesses claimed that the mosque was empty at the time of the incident. 

The security forces and police cordoned off the area soon after the deadly incident.

Caretaker Minister of Religious Affairs and Information Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah condemned the suicide blast, saying that the sacrifices carried out by the police would not go in vain.

"The miscreants and the enemies of peace will be dealt with an iron fist," he added.

'Suspicious person arrested'

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar Ashfaq Anwar said that a suspicious person has been arrested from the site of the incident.

Providing details about the incident, he said that the additional SHO called for police personnel to carry out a search operation after receiving information about suspicious persons in the area.

However, the suspect ran towards the mosque when he saw the police and Additional SHO Afridi ran behind him when the suicide bomber blew himself up, the CCPO added. "The additional SHO was martyred in the suicide blast."