| 2003 Quetta mosque bombing | |
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 Map of Quetta | |
| Location | Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Date | 4 July 2003 (Pakistan Standard Time) |
Attack type | Suicide bombing, mass shooting, grenade attack |
| Weapons | Hand grenades, explosive belt, guns |
| Deaths | 53 |
| Injured | at least 65 |
| Perpetrators | Lashkar-e-Jhangvi |
| Part of a series on |
| Hazaras |
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 WikiProject Category  Commons |
On 4 July 2003, 53 Hazara Shias were killed and at least 65 others were injured when the mosque was attacked during the Friday prayer in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.[1][2] When hundreds of worshipers were offering Friday prayer, three armed men entered the Asna Ashari Hazara Imambargah and started shooting, threw hand grenades and one suicide bomber blew himself up - which left 53 dead and tens of others injured.[1][2] It was second major sectarian attack on Quetta's Hazaras after the massacre of police cadets. It was the start of the series of killings of Hazaras in Quetta.
Bombing
On 4 July 2003, hundreds of worshippers were practicing Friday prayer in Asna Ashri Hazara Imambargah Kalan mosque. Five men armed with automatic weapons[3] entered the mosque and fired on worshippers for ten continuous minutes and tried to throw a grenade, but it exploded in his hand. Worshippers disarmed one of the attackers and killed a third one. The other two attackers ran away from the roof. This attack left more 65 dead and tens of others injured.[4]
Perpetrators
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a banned terrorist group, was responsible for the attack on the mosque. After investigations, intelligence agencies found a video compact disc in which two people are shown who claimed their people attacked the mosque and they were going to meet them in paradise.[5]
Response
- Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan at the time, cut short his 18-day trip to America and Europe. He was in a news conference in Paris when he heard the news.[6][7] On his return to Islamabad, he said:[6]
Whether they are religious extremists or sectarian extremists they are ignorant and wild.
- In response, police in Quetta arrested around 19 culprits who were found to be involved in the attack.[1]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "19 arrested after attack on mosque". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2003.
- 1 2 AFP, Quetta (5 July 2003). "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 4 Num 39". Thedailystar.net. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ↑ "Sectarian Terror In Quetta". Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ↑ McGirk, Tim (7 July 2003). "A Prayer Before Dying". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ↑ "Daily Times". Daily Times. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- 1 2 "Sectarian Terror in Quetta".
- ↑ "Pakistan: Tension over sectarian bombing - TIME". 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2021.